by Alice Ward
“I love you, too, Daddy,” Paisley said.
My heart melted as I let go of Tara’s waist. Moving across the kitchen, I pulled down three plates from the top cabinet and grabbed a few forks from the cutlery drawer. While Tara and Paisley finished making the pancakes, I set the table and got the syrup out of the fridge. I warmed it in the microwave before I set it on the table beside a block of butter. Just as I finished laying out napkins, the girls finished making the pancakes.
Paisley carried the giant stack to the table and set it down in the middle. We each got a glass of milk and sat down to eat. Paisley dove right in, gorging herself on the delicious chocolate chip pancakes. She groaned happily, and I laughed. Chocolate chip pancakes were her favorite.
By the end of breakfast, the food was gone, and we were all happily full. We cleaned up quickly, ready to spend the day together.
EPILOGUE
Tara
Paisley wiggled away from me as I tied her hair back at the base of her neck. She usually loved when I did her hair, but tonight, she was anxious to leave. I smiled at her impatience and hurried to finish her hair. It was curled slightly and braided down the sides. I tied it back and let the curls cascade down her back. She looked beautiful in her little yellow dress. I couldn’t believe how big she was getting.
With her tenth birthday right around the corner, she was already turning into a little lady. She’d come so far from the little eight-year-old I met almost two years ago. Her entire life was different now. Living with Sean was now normal for her. She started calling him Dad a long time ago, and it was obvious that she couldn’t imagine living with anyone else. They were closer than ever, and I knew that they would only grow closer as time went on. I loved to watch them together, knowing that I was there for their beginning.
Paisley was finally ready, and I quickly checked myself in the mirror. My black dress was long and almost reached my feet. I adjusted it, making sure it laid down flat, before I fluffed my curls and checked my lipstick. When I was sure everything was perfectly in place, I grabbed my purse and turned back to Paisley. She watched me closely with curious eyes, the way a daughter would watch her mother get ready. Butterflies erupted in my stomach at the sight. I didn’t ever want to assume anything, but I already felt like Paisley was my daughter, too. After nearly two years of spending time with her, I loved her like she was my own.
“What are we celebrating again?” Paisley asked with a frown as we made our way downstairs.
“You know the company I run?” I asked.
“Yes.” Paisley nodded.
“Well,” I said. “We just made the top ten of the fortune 500 companies.”
“What does that mean?” Paisley asked.
“It means that Tara is incredibly successful and beyond amazing,” Sean said as we stepped into the living room.
“Stop it,” I said with a roll of my eyes. Sean leaned forward and kissed me lightly on the lips.
“You look gorgeous,” he said.
“Thank you.” I smiled. “You clean up pretty well yourself.”
“I try,” Sean joked.
“Are we going?” Paisley asked. She bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. No matter how old he got, she never lost her childlike excitement. Just the mention of a celebration and she vibrated with energy.
“Yes.” I laughed. “We’re ready to go.”
“My ladies,” Sean said, offering each of us an arm. He led us out the front door and down through the yard. As he stepped into the driveway, a limo pulled up in front of us. It stopped on the street, and the driver stepped out. He hurried over to open the door for us. Paisley and Sean walked forward, but I stayed still. I was speechless.
“What’s wrong?” Paisley asked.
“A limo?” I asked, looking at Sean with wide eyes.
“Of course,” he said with a laugh. “This is a celebration, Tara. You deserve everything.”
“This is too much,” I said. I took a step forward, finally following them. We ducked inside the limo and sat side by side.
My eyes roamed around the car, taking in the bright lights and fancy decorations. The seats were a deep, dark purple, and the walls were shiny black. I could see my reflection in the them. When I turned, a saw a mini bar set up near the front of the limo. There were champagne glasses and a bottle chilling in ice. I gaped, completely shocked by the turn of events.
“I thought this was just dinner,” I said.
“It is.” Sean shrugged. “This is just how we’re getting to dinner.”
“You are crazy.” I laughed.
“Maybe,” he said. “But you deserve this.”
Sean slid to the front of the limo and poured us both a glass of champagne. He then reached below the bar and grabbed a small bottle of sparkling cider. He poured Paisley a glass and came back over to us. He handed us our drinks and sat down with a grin.
“To Tara,” he said, raising his glass. Paisley clinked hers against his, and I followed suit. “Congratulations baby.”
“Thank you,” I said. I took a sip of my champagne and let the bubbles work their way down my throat. I felt them in my chest and then my stomach. I smiled wider, taking in the moment. Sean was completely insane for planning such a lavish evening, but I had to admit that I was having fun. The night had only just begun, and already, I was in heaven.
The last time I was in a limo was for my high school prom, and then, I shared it with nine other people. It wasn’t nearly as nice or expensive as this one. Sean sat beside me and held my hand while I sipped my champagne and continued to look around me. As the new owner of a Fortune 500 company, I should have been more used to this kind of treatment, but I wasn’t. Everything was so new for me.
I didn’t feel worthy of such an amazing night. When I told Sean about the company’s success, I expected him to be pleased. I knew he would be proud of me. I knew he would want to celebrate, but I imagined a quiet dinner at home with him and Paisley. I thought it would just be the three of us sitting around the kitchen table like always. That would have been perfect. I couldn’t have asked for anything more, but Sean had other plans.
As the limo pulled up to the restaurant and we stepped out, I was once again surprised. The restaurant was the nicest one in town. It had a French name that I couldn’t pronounce, and I knew it was insanely expensive. Money was no longer a worry for Sean and me, not since Ray made sure we were taken care of, but we still tried to live humble lives. We never splurged on a restaurant this nice. Ever. Our usual celebratory place was a steak house close to the house. It was nice and just fancy enough to feel special. This place? It was on an entirely different level.
My mouth hung open as we walked through the front door. I glanced around, suddenly realizing that we weren’t alone. Everywhere I turned were familiar faces. The entire company was here, as well as Niki and a few of my other friends. I whipped around to face Sean with shock on my face.
“What did you do?” I asked breathlessly.
“It’s a party,” he said simply. “I wanted to make sure everyone had the chance to celebrate with you.”
“Did you rent out the entire restaurant?” I demanded.
“Yes,” Sean said. He looked at me with a blank expression. He could see the emotions flashing across my face, but he didn’t react. He knew I was shocked.
“This is way too much,” I said. “You shouldn’t have done this, Sean.”
“You deserve this,” he said again. “You deserve everything. I can’t believe how successful you’ve been with the company, Tara. You have absolutely blown my mind. I am so proud of you, and I just wanted to show you that. I wanted to give you a night you would never forget. I hope that’s okay.”
For the first time, Sean looked worried that he might have upset me. He frowned and looked in my eyes with concern. I smiled and kissed him.
“Are you kidding?” I asked. “This is amazing. You are amazing.”
Sean grinned and led the way to our table. I stopped by to say
hello to everyone as I passed. Niki ran forward and hugged me quickly. She ranted about how proud she was of me, but how much she still hated large corporations. I couldn’t help but laugh. Niki would never change, and I loved her for it. My employees all hugged and congratulated me, each gushing over how much they admired me. By the time we sat down, I felt flushed and happier than I could ever remember being.
Sean, Paisley, and I had a table to ourselves. We ate slowly, enjoying every bit of our food. The people around us ate and talked, getting up to visit with everyone around them. It quickly became more of a party than a fancy dinner, and I loved watching everyone enjoy themselves. I hadn’t been the only person making Yates’ a success. Everyone there did their part, and they all deserved the credit just as much as I did.
I looked around me, grinning widely, when I noticed that Paisley was bouncing in her seat. She fixed Sean with a meaningful look and he laughed. Finally, Sean sighed and shrugged.
“Okay,” he said. “Go get it.”
Paisley squealed and ran away from the table. I watched her go, confused. She disappeared to the back of the restaurant, and when I turned back to Sean, he was watching me with a smile on his face.
“What’s she getting?” I asked
“Tara,” Sean said. He took my hands in his and held them tightly. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I said, more confused than ever.
“Since the first day we met, I knew you were someone special,” he said. “Even when I didn’t like you, I could tell that you would change my life. Back then, I thought that change would be about business. When you brought me on to work for the company, I knew it would make mine and Paisley’s life so much better. I never imagined how much you would change my life personally, though. I didn’t see it coming.”
I blinked. My heart was racing as I slowly began to realize what Sean was doing. I couldn’t believe I had missed all the signs before.
“I didn’t intend to fall in love with you,” Sean said. “But when you became so attentive to Paisley and to me, I didn’t have a choice. I fell for you hard and fast. Tara, you are the reason I am who I am now. You helped me become the man I was always meant to be. You brought me back to my father, and you helped me become a real dad to Paisley. Without you, Paisley and I wouldn’t be nearly as happy as we are now.”
“Sean,” I said softly. Tears pooled in my eyes.
“You’re my soul mate, Tara,” Sean continued. “You make me so happy. I couldn’t think of a better person to be a mom to Paisley and to be a wife to me. Tara, I love you and I will love you until the day I die. If you let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you make me.”
Just then, Paisley walked up behind us and handed a box to Sean. He smiled at her and turned back to me.
Opening the box, he asked, “Tara, will you marry me?”
My mouth fell open at the sight of the ring. The tears finally fell from my eyes and cascaded down my cheeks. Paisley stood beside Sean and me, grinning from ear to ear. I smiled at her and turned back to face her father.
Sean’s eyes brimmed with tears of his own and his hands shook slightly. I kissed him hard and fast, laughing against his lips.
“Of course,” I said as I pulled away. I reached over to grab Paisley. I pulled her against me and the three of us hugged. “Of course, I’ll marry you.”
THE END
Continue on to read a special sneak peek of my recent and most successful release so far, The Surprise. This book reached a rank of #4 in all of Amazon!
A SNEAK PEEK
THE SURPRISE
Alice Ward
CHAPTER ONE
Scarlett
“We have two more coming up from ER!”
I stared at Melinda in disbelief, but the charge nurse just shot me a sympathetic look and kept running down the hall of the labor and delivery unit where I’d spent the past twelve hours. And where I’d possibly spend the next who knew how long. I glanced at my watch. It was nearly seven, nearly time for my shift to end, but one thing was for sure… from the looks of it, I wouldn’t be going home for the next couple hours at least.
A call bell rang, and I looked up to see that it was the birthing mother from hell — again. I sighed and ran an arm over my brow. I stuffed a peanut butter cracker into my mouth and downed two swallows of my Snapple Peach Tea before straightening my ponytail and heading to her room.
Plastering on a smile, I headed to the patient’s bedside, barely able to suppress the chuckle that wanted to burst from me each time I saw how ridiculous the woman looked. It didn’t matter how elegant our most sophisticated birthing room was decorated, nothing was good enough for this first-time mom. Upon arrival, she’d had her “people” change the sheets of the hospital bed from the practical white cotton-poly mix to ridiculously expensive — and slippery — pink silk.
“In honor of our precious daughter’s birth,” the primping diva told me when I first saw the room’s transformation as she smoothed the newly added furry white blanket with her bejeweled hand.
Of course, it wasn’t.
Mrs. Celine Harlington-Worthington, the Fifth — aka Cece-Gorgeous on Instagram — only thought of herself and hadn’t stopped taking selfies since her arrival ten hours ago. Her accoutrements for the glorious occasion had nothing to do with the baby in her womb. The decorations included pale pink twinkle lights that cast a soft glow around the woman — the better to selfie herself with, no doubt. The outrageously expensive looking silk gown that was going to be ruined in a few hours showed off super slim, tanned arms and breasts that were bigger than my ample ass cheeks. And silliest of all, the diamond encrusted tiara perched on the twenty-two-year-old’s head appeared to have real diamonds. The curling iron on the nearby nightstand was being carefully watched by her stylist, who checked her hair and makeup every few minutes, pulling from the suitcase of cosmetics by her side as needed.
Mrs. Harlington-Worthington, the Fifth wasn’t a queen. Or a princess. She was worse. One of those Instagram models who made money from showing off her tits and ass… and now her baby was going to be swept down that money track too. Not that she needed it. She’d snagged an older billionaire dude who called her precious and sweedums. She was semi seriously on my list for a psych eval, but my smile stayed in place as I asked the soon-to-be momster, “How may I serve you?”
Crap. I hadn’t meant for it to come out exactly that way.
Mrs. HW5 didn’t seem to mind. “I think you should check me again. I’m quite certain I’m at ten. I just can’t imagine my body taking so long. I’ve been preparing for this moment for weeks, and I’m quite behind schedule.”
I suppressed a sigh and headed over to the monitor to look at her strip. Baby looked good. Mom looked good — on paper. “I checked you just a half hour ago. I doubt there has been much change.” Not with these wimpy ass contractions, I wanted to add but didn’t. Her doctor needed to be shot for admitting her this early in labor. Especially on an evening like this.
She raised her chin, and the reflection from one of the diamonds in the tiara nearly blinded me as it refracted the light. Her perfectly glossed pink lips pursed together. “I’m quite sure you’re mistaken. I can feel my body opening in glorious anticipation of Marie Claire’s entrance into our world.”
This poor baby.
I glanced at Mr. Worthington, the Fifth, who was still tapping away at his laptop. He hadn’t even lifted his head since I entered the room, his thick silver-streaked black hair shining in the pink ambiance of the lighting. He was at least forty years her senior and was “very busy with his important work” as Mrs. HW5 told me several times.
“Celine, I—” I stopped when she raised an eyebrow, then cleared my throat, forgetting about my earlier instructions to use her formal married name. “Mrs. Harlington-Worthington, the Fifth, I—” Another call bell sounded at the nurses’ station, drawing my attention. “I’ll be right back.”
Her overly drawn smoky cat eyes b
linked rapidly at me, the long fake lashes reminding me of spider legs as they swept her bronzed and highlighted cheeks. “But, I want to be checked now.” Her cool blue eyes dropped to my shoes and crawled their way back up my pink and chocolate-brown scrubs. “And please do change before the baby’s born.” She glanced at her stylist, who jumped to attention, reminding me of what a soldier would do for a general. “Can you do something with her? Makeup, hair.” She gave a tight smile as her cool blue eyes assessed me. “Something more, um, photo friendly.” Her eyes grew large and she inhaled a great gasp, and I wondered if she was finally feeling a contraction. When she thrust a finger into the air, I realized she’d just had an idea. A terrible idea by the way she was eyeing me. “We’ll do a makeover for her! Won’t that be delightful? We’ll call it Ambush Makeover, Nurse Edition, and it—”
I held up my hands as if warding off a slap. “Um, no. Thank you for the kind offer, but no.”
Mrs. HW5 thrusted her lower lip out in an exaggerated pout, and I was nearly overjoyed to see the pink smear of her gloss create a semicircle on her chin. My delight lasted only an instant before the stylist swept in and whisked the gooey flaw away, then pressed some powder to her already unshiny nose.
Heat flooded my face. I could feel it scorch its way up my neck and to my cheeks. Not from embarrassment of how I knew I looked at the moment, but from the sheer audacity of this woman. This was New York. I had divas aplenty on this ward. But this was the diva of all divas, and I wanted to slap the stupid tiara off her hair extensions and thrust her curling iron up her tight ass.
I wanted to scream at her. I wanted her to know that all twelve of our birthing room beds were full and that we had patients vying for an open one downstairs. I wanted to chide that she shouldn’t even be admitted yet, but because her husband pretty much owned half of New York City, her every wish had been granted by a suck-ass doctor who refused to say no when the very first contraction hit.
I wanted her to know that, in the room next to hers, a woman was going through labor too, but would be pushing out a baby who had already died from profound anencephalies, and she and her family knew they’d never hear that first precious cry. I wanted her to know that we’d already had another fetal death earlier this week. And I’d been the one who washed the vernix from the little boy’s limbs and swaddled him like I’d swaddle any newborn, handing him over to his sobbing mother and the father who looked like a feather would knock him off his chair.