Shit.
He hurried to his walk-in closet and hastily got dressed. In a matter of minutes, he was speeding away towards Paige’s parents’ place.
The house was dark when he got there. That was no surprise, since it was the middle of the night.
He kept his finger on the buzzer of their security intercom, ensuring the Shiptons would wake up from the noise. More than five minutes of doing that and there was still no movement inside the house. They didn’t seem to be home, or they simply refused to answer him.
Or…
What if Paige really meant to disappear on him tonight? What if her text was real?
He blinked back tears as his heart squeezed so hard it felt like it was being wrung dry. Could it be possible she’d only been acting as a happily married woman these last couple of months?
No. Surely not. She’d seemed so genuine.
Plus, she’d even changed her vows! Why would she have bothered changing them at all if she wasn’t really in love with him?
For the trustees’ benefit to ensure she got her money.
He inhaled sharply. Had his own feelings for Paige blinded him to her deceit?
Deceit. Was Paige capable of it—like her parents? Had he been wrong about her all this time?
His heart thundered in his chest. His brain was presenting him with a possibility he didn’t want to acknowledge, but he forced himself to face the question.
Had the Shiptons fooled him again?
He slumped against the wall. His dad and some friends had warned him to be wary of Paige and he’d refused to listen. Now here he was.
He went back to his car, but he didn’t leave. He couldn’t, not until he got some answers. He sat there until the sun rose, and then stayed still.
The Shiptons’ garage door started opening. Aha! He knew it. They were simply trying to avoid him last night.
He got out of his car and stood in the middle of their driveway.
The Audi driving out stopped, and Larry and Debbie stared at him from inside the vehicle, their eyes open wide.
“Where’s Paige?” he called out.
After what seemed like an endless moment, Larry alighted from the car.
“Tristan,” Larry said calmly. “Didn’t you get Paige’s text? She doesn’t want to see you.”
“Where is she?”
“She’s not here. She’s truly sorry, Tristan. But from the very beginning, she only wanted to help us get the trust fund money. She never meant for your marriage to be real. You knew that, didn’t you?”
“I won’t believe anything in that text until I hear it straight from Paige.”
“Tristan, she’s embarrassed by what she’s done to you. That’s why she wants to stay away for a while.”
“I want to talk to her. She can’t just disappear on me. She still has her stuff at my place, and most of all, she’s carrying my child.”
Larry inhaled deeply. “She’ll be contacting you when she’s ready. You’ll have access to your child. She’s not due till April, so there’s plenty of time for the two of you to discuss things later. For now, just leave her alone. She’s not happy with what she’s done, but she needed to be honest with herself.”
He shook his head. “I’m not leaving till I talk to her.”
“But she’s not here! Even I don’t know where she went. She said she doesn’t want anyone bothering her.”
“Then tell me how I can contact her.”
“She doesn’t want to see you right now, Tristan,” Larry reasoned patiently. “Just give her some time.”
“No, Larry. I’m not leaving till I talk to Paige, either in person or on the phone.”
Larry threw his hands in the air. “I told you, she’s not here. And we have to leave right now. I have a breakfast meeting in town.”
“Then you’re gonna have to run me over,” he said stubbornly.
The passenger door of the Audi opened and Debbie got out.
“Here’s Paige, Tristan,” Debbie said, holding out a phone to him.
Tristan’s heart raced as he took the phone from Debbie. “Paige?”
“Tristan, I’m so sorry,” Paige said.
All the hope Tristan had been holding on to burst at Paige’s tone.
Paige sniffed. “I didn’t know how to tell you without you getting angry and possibly telling the trustees about our scheme. I wish things were different, but…”
Tristan shook his head, anger and hate bursting inside of him and crowding out every other feeling.
“Maybe…” Paige said in a whisper. “Maybe, given time, things would be different again. Maybe things would work out—”
“Don’t bother trying to spare my feelings,” he interrupted brusquely. “I get it. You used me, and I let you. But I’ve finally learned my lesson and it’ll never happen again. Expect to get a call from my lawyers one month from now regarding Tanner. I’m sure you wouldn’t need more than a month to get over your… guilt. I want joint legal and physical custody of my son, nothing less, and I’ll fight you all the way to the highest courts if you don’t agree.”
He hung up on her and tossed the phone back to Debbie, who caught it with a surprised shriek.
He strutted back to his car, fury keeping him from breaking down and crying. He switched on the engine and stepped on the accelerator, the tyres screeching before the car sped away. Where he was going, he had no idea.
Right now, there was nowhere at all he wanted to be.
Chapter 16
Paige glared at her mum and dad, who were nonchalantly discussing Christmas preparations as they ate lunch with her on the covered deck of Curtis’s parents’ country home in Bowral.
She’d been stuck here for a week and she hadn’t heard anything about Tristan. She didn’t even have any idea if he’d already been arrested since she’d spoken to him that morning after she’d disappeared.
It would have been better if she hadn’t taken her mother’s call that day. At least Tristan wouldn’t have had to hear the words Curtis had pushed her to say. Seriously, if it weren’t her parents behind all this hiding away and distancing herself from Tristan, she’d think she’d been kidnapped with the way Curtis had ordered her to say hurtful things to her husband.
She still hoped and prayed that the authorities were totally wrong about Tristan. The way Curtis had painted him as a hardened criminal bore little resemblance to the man she’d married and promised to respect, cherish and love for as long as she lived.
Tears pooled in her eyes as she rubbed the bulge in her tummy. If it wasn’t for her baby, she wouldn’t have agreed to hide out here. She’d have stayed with Tristan until she had absolute proof of the accusations being thrown at him.
But she had to think of their baby. She owed it to her child to protect herself from the possibility of incarceration, and she’d like to think Tristan would understand that, considering how much he loved Tanner.
Besides, the people telling her about Tristan’s secret life weren’t strangers. They were her own parents who she trusted unconditionally. They understandably wanted to save her from getting entangled in the web of a criminal organisation.
Still, she couldn’t help but feel resentful towards her folks and Curtis. She wanted to do something productive relating to this issue—like talk to Tristan in private and get his side of the story—but they were virtually tying her hands behind her back. It was so frustrating!
“Hello, everyone!”
“Curtis,” her father said delightedly. “Glad you could join us.”
“Have you had lunch?” Debbie asked. “I made extra omelette in anticipation of you having lunch with us.”
“Thanks, Debbie! I am starving.”
Debbie got out of her chair. “I’ll grab you a plate. Sit down and relax.”
Paige wanted to roll her eyes. Her mother was being hospitable to Curtis in Curtis’s parents place. Nothing wrong with that, she guessed. It was just that she couldn’t stand them acting like everything was hunky-dor
y when she was getting more and more depressed by the minute. “What’s new, Curtis?” she asked.
“Nothing new, I’m afraid.”
“I have the right to know what’s going on,” she snapped. He’d been feeding her that line for a week and she was getting sick of it.
“You do have the right to know what’s going on,” Curtis said gently, “but there’s nothing for me to share at this point.”
“You said last week an operation was imminent, that was why I couldn’t go home. I took that as meaning people were going to get arrested in a matter of hours. But the morning after, Tristan was still free as a bird—and looking for me at my parents’ house. Does that mean they didn’t have enough against him to arrest him? If so, that’s probably because Tristan is not who they say he is,” she said hopefully.
“No, it means the operation hasn’t happened yet. The team is holding off for some reason, but I don’t know why. I’m not privy to all the details, as some of them are classified for the likes of me. All I know is they’re back to a holding pattern for the meantime.”
“Up to when?” she asked in dismay.
“I don’t know.”
She huffed. “I’d really like to go back to Sydney.”
“Please be patient, Paige.”
Debbie patted Paige’s hand. “If you’re still here next week, then we’ll hold our Christmas celebrations here. It’ll be fun.”
Paige pushed her plate away. She didn’t even want to think about Christmas. It was too depressing.
“You should finish your food,” Debbie said with a frown. “Make sure you get enough nutrition in your body.”
Paige repressed a sigh. Her baby was the only reason why she was trying to keep it together.
She missed Tristan so much—the Tristan she’d gotten to know and love—the upstanding, caring man whose love for her and her baby she’d felt in her bones.
But her folks and Curtis insisted it was all an act—a way for Tristan to get back into Larry and Debbie’s good books so he could eventually add Shipton clubs for the nefarious activities of his syndicate.
Just the possibility of that accusation being true hurt more than anything.
“Curtis,” Debbie said, “can Paige and I go shopping in the town centre? It should be okay, shouldn’t it?”
Curtis hesitated.
“I’m starting to go crazy being cooped up here,” Paige said dispassionately. She really didn’t care anymore. All she wanted was to hear news about Tristan. She hadn’t given up hope that they’d simply gotten it wrong when it came to him, even though a big part of her was angry at herself for being so foolish as not to believe her folks, who’d had her best interest at heart since she was born.
“Let me call someone,” Curtis said, sighing deeply and pulling his phone out.
“Hey, how about we invite a few more people here for Christmas,” Debbie said, trying to sound excited. “We can even have a pool party. The weather should be good on Christmas day, apparently.”
“Don’t make too many plans, Deb,” Larry warned. “It’s not our house and we don’t know what’s gonna happen.”
“Oh, I know. But it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. Last thing we want is to have a boring Christmas.”
“Okay,” Curtis said, replacing his phone in his pocket. “You can go in a couple of hours when Tony arrives. Unfortunately, I can’t go with you because Larry and I are meeting someone in half an hour.”
“That won’t give us much time to shop,” Paige said flatly. “We might as well not go.”
Debbie frowned at her tone. “Can’t we head off earlier, Curtis? I don’t think anyone knows we’re here. And we’ll be in a public place. No one would dare to do anything stupid with lots of witnesses around, right? Paige needs to leave the house and do something fun.”
Curtis raked his hair, lips pressed together. “Okay, fine. But please keep your phones with you. I’ll get Tony to meet you in town when he gets here. And don’t do anything that would attract attention.”
Paige snickered. “Like what? Dance on the streets because I was allowed to go shopping with my mother?”
Curtis gave her a small smile. “I know how hard this is for you, Paige. But hold on for a little bit longer. The operation will happen soon.”
Well, she didn’t want that, either. It would be a hope-killer.
Paige held up a brown leather sling bag for inspection. Maybe she should get it for her dad for Christmas. He was always carrying too many things in his pockets, and a stylish man-bag would be useful for him.
She looked around for other options, finding herself enjoying this shopping spree. She was now realising how she’d always taken her freedom for granted.
“This is interesting,” her mum said handing her a flyer for a one-and-a-half-hour massage and body wrap package from the nearby spa. “I’m tempted to do it.”
“Why don’t you?”
Debbie made a face, but she was clearly considering it. Her mother was semi-addicted to massages.
“Go on, Mum. I’m happy to wait for you.”
“I shouldn’t leave you by yourself,” Debbie said, waving her hand dismissively.
“Why not? Curtis thinks we’re okay to shop without a bodyguard. What difference does it make if you go get pampered while I continue shopping? In fact, it’s a good idea because I’m yet to buy your and Dad’s presents.”
“Do it with me, then. Let’s both have a massage.”
“With this?” she said with a laugh, rubbing her belly.
“Yeah, why not?”
“Nah. I’d rather continue shopping. I really want to find something for you and Dad, at the very least. I might not be allowed to leave the house again before Christmas.”
Debbie sighed. “I guess it should be okay…”
“Of course it is.” She linked arms with her mother and walked her to the shop’s exit. “Call me when you’re done. If they’re currently busy, can you give me at least an hour to browse on my own? I don’t want you to know what I’m getting you.”
“Okay,” Debbie said with a grin, waving and walking towards the direction of the spa.
Paige let out a sigh of relief. It was nice to go shopping without anyone watching over her. She continued to look around, but didn’t find anything that truly grabbed her.
She stepped out of the store and did a double take. A woman with her arms full of shopping walked in front of her. But the thing that had caught Paige’s attention was the blue balloon tied to one of the bags. Printed in big bold letters on the extra-large blue balloon was the name Tanner.
Paige smiled. Where did she get that from?
The lady dropped one of her bags and Paige’s mouth formed an O. She rushed to help. With the amount of stuff she was carrying, the woman was having a hard time picking up her items from the ground.
“Here you go,” Paige said, handing back a boxed baby rattle that had fallen out.
“Thank you,” the woman said with a laugh. “Next time, I’ll know not to volunteer to go shopping for my sister. It’s crazy what she got me to buy.”
“These are all for your sister?”
“Yes. For her baby. She’s already bought lots of stuff, but she got a fifteen percent discount that expires today from the store down the road. She couldn’t go, so she gave me a long list.”
“And her baby’s name is Tanner?”
“Yes. You can tell from the balloon, huh? The baby won’t get to see it, though, ’coz my sister’s not due till the end of February. But knowing her, I bet she’ll keep the balloon long after it deflates.”
“I’m due in April and my baby’s name’s Tanner too!” Paige said gleefully.
The stranger laughed. “Wow, what a coincidence!”
“Do you mind if I ask where you got the balloon from?”
“There’s a pop-up store at the promenade selling them. You pay by the letter and they’ll paint any name you want on it. Or you can ask them to draw something. That costs more.”
>
“Oh, right. I like personalised things for the baby.”
“I know! They’re so cute, aren’t they? I have a couple of things in here personalised for my nephew that my brother-in-law got me to pick up. They’re surprises for my sister. She’ll go bananas over them, I’m sure.” The woman lifted one hand carrying four bags. “Wanna see?”
“I’d love to, but it looks like too much trouble for you.”
The lady shrugged. “I’m heading for the café. I can show them to you there.”
“Okay. I’m Paige, by the way.”
“Elizabeth,” the lady said with a smile.
They stopped at the first coffee shop they passed and took an indoor table.
Elizabeth rummaged through her bags. “Check this out.”
Paige laughed. A light green pillow in the shape of an elephant had a big Tanner embroidered on it. “This is so cute!”
“What about this train set?” Elizabeth asked, pulling out wooden train cars shaped like letters. She hooked them together and they spelled Tanner.
“Aw.” Paige wanted those for her son too.
“And these ones.” Elizabeth handed her two adult-sized shirts. One said I’m Tanner’s Gorgeous Mum and the other, I’m Tanner’s Handsome Dad.
“These are great. Where did you get them from?”
“From the baby shop at the end of this block. They sell lots of stuff that you can personalise.”
“They deliver to Sydney, don’t they?”
Elizabeth cocked her head. “You’re from Sydney?”
“Yes.”
“Visiting someone here or playing tourist?”
“Just playing tourist,” she said with a smile.
“Oh, good! Where are you staying?”
“At the home of a friend of ours. Do you want to order?” She picked up the menu to try and change the subject.
“Sure.”
A waitress was instantly by their side.
“I’ll have a blueberry muffin and an orange juice, please,” Paige said.
“And I’ll have a black forest cake,” Elizabeth said to the server before turning back to her. “So you’re here with your husband?”
The Unexpected Husband (Captured by Love Book 8) Page 14