“Okay.”
I enter the room and see that both girls are awake, and Brad is sitting with both of them in his lap. “Mama.” They say in unison, twins. Speaking at the same time is like second nature to them.
“Hi, my lovelies. Look what I brought you from home.” I show the girls their horses, which makes them squeal in delight.
“What took you so long?” Brad asked.
“Oh well, it was eventful, to say the least.”
“What do you mean?” The girls are so in tuned to their horses they aren’t paying attention to me or their father.
“Well, um Michael showed up at the house, so that had to be dealt with.”
“Jesus Street, what did you do to that kid. It’s like a dog after a bone with him.”
“He’s not a kid; he’s only a few years younger. But he wanted to inform me that the story broke.”
“Story, what story?”
“Um, the one where my last name was changed.”
“Mama, you changed your last name?”
“What did you do that for mama?”
“Did you not like Richards anymore?”
“Did you change our last names too?”
“Does daddy have to change his last name?” I guess the girls were paying more attention than what I thought. They were both full of questions.
“Give mommy and daddy a minute, lovelies.”
“Lane, what are you talking about?” I walk to the window and look down at the parking lot. I nod my head for Brad to follow.
“So the story broke that Nathan is married, to me, or what the papers called me, Ms. Nobody. I guess Nathan is in higher demand than I knew.” My voice is low so the girls couldn’t hear.
“What the fuck, Laney? How is that even news? Don’t get me wrong I was shocked as hell when you came in here earlier and he started spouting off about you being his wife, and then with me when he was pounding on his chest being all ‘me Tarzan, Laney my Jane’. I figured something screwed up happened in Vegas, something that is fixable, a mistake or something. Not front page news that you are married. Not with reporters swarming the hospital that our girls are in.
You know, I’ve had one hell of a past twenty-four hours. I was hit by a drunk driver, Laney. My daughters were in the car with me when I got hit. One of them had to undergo surgery to fix a completely smashed leg. Look at me, look at the blood stains on my clothes. Did you notice the stitches in my hair line? Then when my children’s mother finally makes it to the hospital, she isn’t alone. She left the state alone, but then she comes back with a new ring on her finger and a fucking husband. A new father for my girls, but not just any father, Nathan fucking Whitmore, Laney. How did you not see any of this as a problem? There are paparazzi outside, Laney and, by the way, where is this husband of yours?” His voice grows louder and looks directly at the girls to see if they noticed.
“The story is a fact, Brad. Nathan is who he is, and now he’s attached, out of commission, off the market. I guess. I’m not sure, it’s ridiculous to me, but not to all the gossips rags throughout the city. I never paid attention to them before Brad; I don’t know how they work. I didn’t even know Nathan’s last name until my mother pointed it out.”
“What?”
“You heard me, Brad. I did not know. Okay. I screwed up. Jesus, what did you think happened? I left here with you knowing that Michael screwed his neighbor, and I needed a break after walking in on them. I was drunk and Nathan walked up to me and S. I guess Stella saw a match made in heaven, and I woke up married, with a ring on my finger and a legitimate marriage license to back it all up.”
“Christ Lane, how on earth did you leave here being the responsible parent? The one with her head attached to her shoulders with her feet securely on the ground to the one coming back as Mrs. Nathan Whitmore.”
“I don’t know Brad, it just happened.”
“Well make it unhappen Laney. Fix it. You know I don’t get involved in your love life. As long as the girls are fine, then I’m fine. But those vultures down there are not okay for the girls.”
“Nathan Whitmore.” I know it’s my father, but I can’t help it. I live to get a rise out of him. I see it as payback for the years he was a complete flunky as a father.
“Don’t you mean Riley-Whitmore?”
“I don’t think I do, Father. Do I need to send you the papers again, stating that my legal last name is Whitmore? I can have them framed for you if need be.”
“It’s too damn late for you to give me your normal amount of shit. What’s this I hear that you’re married but more importantly, why do you think you have the right to dismiss a man that has worked for me for years?”
“I have that right because he is employed by Whitmore Assets. A company that I own; a company that I gave you the liberty to use because you feel that you are important enough to need the extra guarding. Truth be told father, the only people you should be afraid of, are the husbands of the women you tend to sleep with.”
“Nathan, I don’t need your crap. Kirk has been a trusted employee of mine.”
“Of mine.”
“He has been my guard since you opened the company. He has never done anything wrong; he has been a model employee, and now he’s out of work. He has a family to support, Nathan.”
“Then he shouldn’t have spoken to my wife the way he did. He was the one who dug his own grave with such blatant disregard to whom he owes his livelihood.”
“Seriously, son. You expect for Kirk not to act that way after hearing such ridiculous news. It was a knee-jerk reaction; he was stunned; shocked really. I know I was when he phoned me to let me know he wouldn’t be at the house in the morning.”
“I could care less what he thought or what your reaction was. He disrespected the one person who is most important in my life.”
“The most important person, come on Nathan, you are smarter than that. You can’t seriously let go of a trusted employee because he may have spoken rudely to your latest piece of ass.”
“Father, there will be consequences to you, to him and whoever else has the audacity to speak of Laney that way. If you want him around, then you flip the bill for him. And don’t you think I won’t be checking your expenses to make sure that Whitmore Holdings isn’t paying to have Kirk follow you around like a little puppy dog.”
“She must have a golden cunt for you to be acting like this Nathan. Not even, Diane got this much of a rise out of you. She must be angelic in the sheets, or is it the fact that she’s a dirty whore.”
“Father, this is my last warning. So help me God, I am only tolerating you because I am trying to be a better man. A man that I can be happy with; someone that my new wife and step-daughters can be proud of.”
“Step-daughters? Christ Nathan. I never took you for a fool. You are as dense as your lame ass sister. This girl has got you totally snowed. All your mother’s money is at risk. Do you know that? Did you even think about that before you stuck your dick into her pussy? She is just after your money.”
“No father, she isn’t.”
“I highly doubt that she isn’t.”
“I know for a fact father. She doesn’t need my money; she has her own.”
“That may be, but I’m sure it’s nowhere near as much as the Whitmore name holds. Our family’s money, it’s legacy is in jeopardy because of you. Why can’t-”
“Her maiden name is Jacobs, father.”
“Jacobs? You mean Lane Jacobs from Oklahoma?”
“Yes, Lane Jacobs, from Jacobs Cattle and more recently Jacobs Oil. So you see father, she doesn’t see me as dollar signs, or her next free meal. My last name means nothing to her. She is set up for life. Her children, our children, are set up for life.”
“It may not mean anything to her, but it means a whole hell of a lot to that viper she calls a mother. She has been spouting the importance of her name around town for as long as I can remember.”
“Kinda like you have always ridden on the coat tails
of my mother’s name, father. You would be nothing without the Whitmore name. I’m surprised you never tried to change your name to Whitmore so you can feel more apt.”
“I have earned what the Whitmore name brings me. Don’t you forget who created you, Nathan? I have brought you into this world, and I can take you out.”
“Just like you took out my grandparents. Kinda sucks that it backfired, doesn’t it father? Listen, I have given you more time than you deserve. I have a family to get to. I have a wife who needs me and girls who have been through more than any four-year-olds should have to. Kirk is gone period. He is no longer an employee of my company, none of them because the fact is father, I allow you to be who you are. My mother knew what kind of a snake you were, and I will never forget. It would suit you well if you remembered that. Good night.”
I didn’t allow him to take up any more of my time. I’ve been in the waiting room for far too long. Laney and the girls shouldn’t be dealing with this without me. It doesn’t matter that Brad is there; they are my responsibility, my family. My father will never take my time away from them again. I walk down the hall towards their room. I can hear Laney and Brad discussing our current situation. Their voices are not quiet by any means. I open the door and see Laney and Brad standing near the window. Amanda is in Addie’s bed playing with their stuffed horses. “Nathan.” They yell in unison.
“Are youf our newf daddy?” Amanda asks in her precious voice.
I look over at Laney, and her hand is covering her mouth while Brad looks like he’s about to come undone. “Yes, I guess I am.”
“Wef got two daddies Bug. Did you hear that? Nafin said he’s our newf daddy.” Amanda’s eyes were huge, and she had the biggest smile on her face.
“Cuz you married our mommy. Is that cuz?” Addie asks Nathan. He looks at me to see how to respond, but Amanda continues to talk.
“It’s like hows Emelee was gonna be our newf mommy, but then daddy said she wasn’t gonna come to his house anysmore. I think it’s cuz she didn’t want to be our newf mommy. Do you think Bug, do you think that’s whyf?
“Girls, that’s not why,” Brad speaks up. “Emily loved you girls, but she and I didn’t work out. It’s a grown-up thing, Bear; it had nothing to do with you.”
“Oh.” She looks down at her blanket, twisting her fingers within the fabric. “Well, then hows long is Nafin gonna be our daddy thenf. Until the grown up stuff happens?”
“The grown up stuff isn’t going to happen, Amanda. I don’t plan on going anywhere.” Nathan gave her a reassuring smile.
“How do you know? How do you know the grown-up stuff isn’t gonna happen. We used to hear mama and ugly Michael -”
“Adele!”
“Sorry momma but me and Bug didn’t like him. He was a meany to us, and he wasn’t a good sitter when you were working. He never played with us, he never read to us, and he only let us watch grown-up TV. We never got to watch the princesses cuz he wanted to watch gross boy TV.”
“Yeah, that Michael was the ewiest of ewies.” Amanda huffed and crossed her arms.
I cannot believe I never saw how Michael interacted with the girls. I thought they liked him well enough. I never saw Michael as the forever type. I didn’t see him as a potential stepfather to my girls, but he was a warm body to keep my cold bed occupied at night. It’s amazing how intuitive kids are. They see things that adults just gloss over.
“Nathan isn’t your new daddy girls,” Brad speaks up. “He is your mom's new husband, but I will always be your daddy. There isn’t a reason for you to have a new daddy when there isn’t anything wrong with me, right? I don’t think I’m broken, am I? I thought I was a pretty good daddy.”
“Yous our daddy; yous are.” Amanda sings.
“Our friend Becca and her brother Aaron have two daddies. They get to have two daddies that love them and take them to play games. Becca said it’s great because no matter where she goes she always has a daddy with her. When we are with momma, we never have a daddy around because you don’t live with us. But now me and Bug will be like Becca and Aaron., When we are with you daddy we will have you and now when we are with momma we will have Nathan. We will have two daddies. Yeah, two daddies.”
“Yeah daddy, and one day we willf have two mommies, and then we willf be like Alex, cuz he lives with two mommies. But we won’t live withf two mommies or two daddies, we willf just have two mommies and two daddies.” Amanda says holding up both hands showing two fingers each.
The girls are taking this all really well, but they are kids. They roll with the punches. They just want to be happy, have fun, wear their tutus and play with their toys. I think as long, and the adults are happy in their lives then they will be happy as well. “It sounds like you like the idea of two mommies and two daddies.”
“Yes momma, it seems super fun.”
“Then I guess we will give it a try with two daddies.”
“Yay!” They yell in unison.
I smile at them because as long as they’re happy then that’s all that matters to me. I’m sure Brad is hurt, but this is the life we live now. There have always been possibilities of bringing in other people to parent. I was very supportive of Brad’s relationship with Emily. I wanted to make sure that she was right for my girls, and I never had the feeling that she was less than great with them. But, of course, she could have been a complete ogre to them, and I wouldn’t have known it, seeing as though the saw Michael as ‘Ugly Michael’. “Laney, I think we need to discuss this more before we get the girls involved. Don’t you? I think things need to be worked out a bit more and clarified.” The girls look between us.
“Why don’t you and Brad take a walk before he heads home for the night? I’ll stay here with the girls.” I’m sure Nathan saw the apprehension written all over my face because he gave me a slight nod and winked letting me know he’s got this.
“Alright. Daddy and I will be right back, okay babies? Nathan will be with you so nothing will happen. We won’t be long.” I give both of them a kiss on the forehead and hold the door open for Brad to follow me out.
Once we were out of the room, I could feel the anger radiating off of Brad. He was really holding it back while we were in the room with the girls. “Why don’t we head outside, get some fresh air.” I try to keep my voice light so I can try to control the mood this conversation starts in.
“You think that’s wise with all the damn cameras out there? We won’t have a moment of privacy, not to mention I don’t need to read our conversation all over the tabloids tomorrow, Laney.”
“Okay.” I try to think. We pass a nurses station. “Excuse me,” I say to get one of the nurse’s attention, “I would appreciate it if there was somewhere private my ex, and I could talk. My husband, Nathan Whitmore, is sitting in with our girls and their father, and I need a moment.”
“Oh no problem, Mrs. Whitmore, you can go to the first floor and ask for the staff lunch area. It’s a pretty large area so you shouldn’t have any problems. I’ll call down and let them know to expect you.”
“Thank you so much.” I give her a smile and walk the rest of the way to the elevators.
We are silent as I push the button and wait for the car to reach our floor. I stepped in and as soon as the doors shut, Brad let his feelings known. “You did not just throw his name around to get what you want. Damn it hasn’t even been that long and the power of that last name is getting to you. It seems the apple doesn’t fall that far from the tree. Like mommy like daughter.” We stand there shoulder to shoulder as he throws the one thing in my face that he knows I cannot stand.
“Don’t you even go there with me, Bradley.” I spin around, so I’m facing him, pointing my finger at him trying to bring my point across. “I am doing what I need to do for my daughters.”
“Our daughters.” He looks over at me, still keeping his body facing forward.
“It would be nice that you remember that Brad ,the next time you try to be a one show parent making decision
without so much as my thoughts on the subject, especially since I’m the one the girls have had to count on day in and day out since we split.”
“Not by my choice.”
“That is so god damn laughable because how I remember it; I wasn't the one banging one of my co-workers. You aren’t the one who got the cute little note stating said fact on the front of your windshield. So don’t you dare tell me about choices. It was you who made all the bad ones.”
The elevators come to the stop and the doors open. I immediately see the signs for the staff lounge, and I make my way over. I just want to get this conversation over with so he can get his ass home, and I can get up there with my girls. “Mrs. Whitmore, you can go ahead right on through, you should have as much privacy as needed.” Before I could even address who I am and what I need. I was ushered through with Brad following closely behind.
“Damn, it’s happening already. The world is going to fall at the feet of Mrs. Nathan Whitmore.”
“Enough,” I demand as we make our way to a quiet spot in the corner of the outside lounge area. “I don’t want to argue with you. I don’t want to throw our mess-ups from the past in each other’s faces, Brad. Not tonight; not anytime soon. I just want what’s best for the girls.”
“I agree, but I’m not certain we’re on the same page when it comes to what’s best, Laney.” He takes a seat across from me. “I have always taken a back seat when it’s come to the decisions which pertain to the girls. I have sided with you when it comes to their interests and hobbies. I had even sided and agreed with you when you wanted to enroll them in private school instead of public. I’m not talking about the money factor in that little tidbit either. But now things are different. This isn’t about who takes piano and who doesn’t. This is about another man coming into my, into our daughter’s lives and being a full force presence within their lives.”
“I love him, Brad.”
“Christ, Laney, you don’t even know the guy. How are those three words that you just said supposed to make me feel better when it comes to the welfare of the girls.”
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