by Nikki Ash
But I want more. I want what my parents had. I want what my dad was able to find for a second time with Corrine. Nick joked about giving me the fairytale, but does he really understand all that it entails? And then there’s the fact that if we don’t work out, we’re stuck co-parenting together. He and Celeste might be over, and their relationship might not have been real, but if we don’t work out there will be more women. Do I really want to put myself in that position? When I was in his arms, it felt so right, but once our connection was broken, my mind started to race. I wish I could be back in his arms, thinking with my heart instead of my head.
Nick leaves after giving Reed a bath and a bottle and putting him down for the night, but not before reminding me that he leaves tomorrow morning for Denver. Grabbing a glass of wine, I sit on the couch to unwind, and shortly after Giselle comes home from work.
“How was your day?”
“Amazing!” she gushes. “I am literally living out my dream. I had a meeting with Lydia, my boss, and she loves my ideas. She mentioned that she can see me one day moving into a real position there.” She pours herself a glass of wine and joins me. “Of course, that won’t be for a while. Most internships at Fresh Designs are for at least a year.”
“I’m so happy for you. The year will fly by, you’ll learn a lot, and soon enough you’ll be running the place.”
Giselle laughs. “I don’t know about that, but at least once I get through the internship I’ll be able to finally pull my weight around here.”
“Stop!” I hate when she brings up money. Money simply pays the bills. Giselle being in my life is worth more than any dime she ever pays toward the bills. Her friendship is invaluable.
“Whatever. So, how was your day?”
“Nick and Celeste broke up,” I say nonchalantly.
Giselle gives me a duh! look. “Yeah…like weeks ago.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me?” I give her the side-eye as I take another sip of my wine.
“Everybody knows. It’s all over the tabloids. I just assumed you knew.” She shrugs.
“You came home at four in the morning to tell me Victor cheated on me when we were together, but you didn’t think to mention Nick is no longer engaged?”
Giselle laughs. “I came home to comfort you because you were at one time in love with Victor. I didn’t think I needed to comfort you regarding Nick. Why would you even care…” She stops speaking and tilts her head to the side, giving me a curious look. “Livi, why would you care?”
I let out a loud sigh. “He wants me to give us a chance.” I throw back the rest of my wine like it’s a shot.
“No way! And you said yes, right?” I avert my eyes to the picture hanging on the wall. “Livi, you said yes…”
“I said I would think about it. He wants Reed and me to go to Denver with him for the Super Bowl, but there’s a lot to consider. If we don’t work out, we can’t simply go our separate ways. We’re Reed’s parents until we die. And then there’s the fact he might get bored of me or meet someone else. Or he might get bored of being a dad…”
Giselle sighs and sets her glass down. “You know what I don’t get…you talk all this shit about wanting your fairytale happily-ever-after, but you never let anyone in enough to actually allow it to happen. Did you see Cinderella come up with excuses? No! She wore that glass slipper like a fuckin’ boss.” I can’t help but giggle at her words.
“And Belle… you didn’t see her doubting the Beast. She went all in. Accepting him the way he was and falling in love, despite him looking like a scary monster. Oh! And Jasmine! She fought right alongside Aladdin against that asshole, Jafar. Aurora in Sleeping Beauty; she was strong until she pricked her damn finger and passed the hell out.”
Giselle scoots closer to me and pats my leg. “You want this fairytale, but no one said it would be easy. You may have seen your parents in love, but you didn’t see the hard work that went into their relationship. We always remember the happily-ever-after in these movies, but too often we forget the effort and struggle and heartache the characters have to endure in order to get that ending.”
“When did you get so wise?” I joke, and Giselle pulls me into a hug. “I’m going to do it.” I nod emphatically into her neck before pulling back. “I’m going to go all in. Consequences be damned.”
“That’s my girl.”
I stand and grab my keys, then remember I drank some wine. “I’m going to call a Lyft. Can you watch Reed?”
“You’re going to Nick’s now?”
“He told me to let him know, and he leaves in the morning. I don’t want to tell him over the phone. When I get back, I’ll pack for Reed and me. Any chance you want to take a trip to Denver with us?”
“Oh no…you aren’t using me as your buffer.” Giselle shoots me a playful wink. “Besides, I love my job, and I’m pretty sure it’s too soon to request time off.” She laughs. “Go…go tell your baby daddy what he wants to hear.”
I give her a hug then call for a Lyft. I’ve never been to Nick’s home before, but I know what his address is from when he gave it to me. I tell the driver where I need to go, and about fifteen minutes later, I’m outside of his building. It’s a nice skyrise condominium in Lower Manhattan. I walk through the marbled lobby and press the intercom for his number. Without him saying a word, I’m buzzed up.
The elevator doors open and his door is the only one on the floor. I knock once, and the door swings open. Only it’s not Nick, it’s Celeste.
She’s standing in the doorway—all six feet of legs—in a pantsuit and heels, her makeup done to perfection and not a single hair out of place. And then I glance down at myself…I ran out the door without even thinking. I’m in sweats and a hoodie, and I’m almost positive there’s some stupid logo or saying scrawled across my ass. I have zero makeup on, and my hair is up in a messy bun—and I’m not talking about those ‘cute’ messy buns. I’m talking the real ones that look like a rat has made his nest up in there.
“Can I help you?” She stands taller—if that’s even possible—her chin jutting out.
“I was hoping to…” But I stop speaking because suddenly it’s all pointless, my reason for being here. If they’re back together, I’m here for no reason. Just as I’m about to turn around, Giselle’s words come back to me. “We forget the struggle and heartbreak…”
“I was hoping to speak to Nick,” I say with more confidence than I feel. He asked me to give him a chance, and if something has changed then he can man up and tell me himself.
“I figured as much when I saw you on the camera asking to be let up. He’s not here.” She closes the door in my face. Okay then…
I make my way back to the elevator, shooting a text to Nick.
Me: Where are you?
The bubbles appear instantly.
Nick: Killian’s
Nick: Everything okay?
Me: I came by your place…
The bubbles appear and then disappear, and a second later, my phone rings.
“Hello?”
“What did Celeste do?”
“Slammed the door in my face.”
Nick sighs. “This is the part of the story where you come across the evil witch.” I can’t help but laugh at his Disney story reference. “But have no fear because your prince has already taken her down.”
“Are you still going on with that stupid fucking analogy?” I hear Killian yell in the background. The phone is muffled for a few seconds and then Nick comes back on the line.
“So, does you coming by my place mean you’ve decided?”
“Umm…can we get back to you taking down the evil witch? She’s in your home…”
“She got back from Milan today. I was just kidding about taking her down. She’d probably kick my ass with those ten inch heels of hers. She’s moving her stuff out, though, as we speak. Now, back to us…”
“There’s a really good possibility I’m going to regret this.”
“There’s a really
good possibility you won’t.”
“What if we don’t work?”
“What if we do?”
“I don’t remember any of the Disney movies having this plot,” I joke.
We both go silent for a moment, and then Nick says, “How about instead of trying to copy stories that have already been told, we write our own?”
I take a deep breath. “I can do that.”
“Good. Chapter one begins tomorrow morning. I’ll pick you and Reed up at seven to catch our flight.”
“I’m pretty sure chapter one was our one-night stand.”
He laughs. “Fuck no, it wasn’t. That was the prequel. Our story doesn’t begin until now.”
We hang up, and I lean back against the wall next to the elevator, closing my eyes for a few seconds while taking several much needed calming breaths. It’s really happening. I’m actually going to attempt to date the father of my son. Not so long ago I didn’t think I would ever even see Nick again. He’s right, though. This is our story, and therefore, we get to write the chapters. Pushing off the wall, I press the button for the elevator. I’m watching as the numbers slowly increase when Nick’s door creaks open.
“So, I’m not sure what the hell Nick is talking about, but I believe he just called me an evil witch.” I turn around, and Celeste is leaning against the doorframe. “Although, it might have been an evil bitch.” She shrugs, and her head tilts to the side slightly. “I think we got off on the wrong foot.” She steps out of the doorway and walks toward me. I hear the elevator open, but instead of getting in, I meet her halfway.
She extends her perfectly manicured hand. “I’m Celeste Leblanc, the friend.”
I stare down at her proffered hand for a second before I take it in mine and shake hers. “I’m Olivia Harper, the…baby mama.” Yep, I totally just said that.
She throws her head back in laughter. “If you ask Nick, I think he would call you more than that. Why don’t we go inside? Nick called, and after yelling at me for closing the door on your face, said he’ll be home soon. But I don’t think he realized you were still here. Otherwise, he’d probably be hauling ass home sooner.”
I take her up on her offer for no other reason than curiosity. I’ve never been in Nick’s place before. We walk inside, and there’s a woman taping up boxes and stacking them in the hallway. Celeste doesn’t say a word to her, but instead grabs a bottle of wine and two glasses and nods toward the back of the room. There’s a set of French doors, and when she opens them, they lead out to a terrace. It’s smaller than mine, but large enough to have a table and a few chairs. We both sit, and Celeste pours us each a glass of white wine.
“I’ll get straight to the point,” Celeste says, handing me one of the glasses. “I don’t know you, and I wouldn’t know the first thing about being a mom or what you’re going through. I had no right to judge you, and for that, I’m truly sorry.”
“Damn it!” I take a sip of my wine.
“Excuse me?”
“I said ‘Damn it.’” I shake my head. “I was prepared to hate you…hell, I did hate you. You’re beautiful and elegant and successful, and you talked shit about my parenting. You were engaged to the father of my child, and did I mention you’re beautiful? I was supposed to hate you. I even threw away all the makeup with your name on it.” I take another sip of my wine. “And that shit isn’t cheap.” I raise a brow and she cracks a smile. “Then you had to go and apologize. So yes, ‘damn it’.”
“My makeup is worth every penny.” She winks playfully. “And apologizing is a bad thing?” She laughs.
“Well, yeah…because now I’m going to have to forgive you, and since I don’t have a lot of girlfriends, we’re totally going to click and become besties. Then my best friend Giselle will wonder why I’m constantly ditching her for someone else and insist on meeting you, and the three of us will all have to hang out, and you’re totally going to be that friend who brings us free makeup and jewelry from all your current lines and introduces us to all of the famous people you know.” I shrug, and Celeste laughs harder.
“What are you? A fortune teller? Care to tell me my future while you’re at it?” She smirks, taking a sip of her wine.
“Oh, that’s easy!” I giggle. “Nick is going to hold you to the pact you guys made, and Giselle and I will bug the shit out of you to find a guy for you to fall in love with. You’ll argue you aren’t capable of falling in love, and we’ll argue you are. Then one night when we’re all out, you’ll meet him and fall in love. You’ll resist at first, but we’ll be there to push you. You’ll finally come to your senses, and we’ll all live happily-ever-after.”
“Oh my God!” Celeste cracks up. “Who is this woman?” I’m confused as to why she’s referring to me in the third person until I see her eyes trained on something—or someone—behind me. I turn around to find Nick standing in the doorway, a huge grin splayed across his lips.
“She’s the woman I’m going to fall in love with, and who’s going to fall in love with me.” He smiles warmly at me, and my heart picks up speed. Unsure of what to say, I chug down the rest of the wine in my glass, and Nick chuckles.
“How did you get here so fast?” I ask.
“Killian lives one floor below me.” He shoots me a wink that has the muscles between my legs clenching. “I didn’t realize when I was talking to you that you were still on my floor. I thought you had already left to go back home. Otherwise, I would’ve come right up.”
“Told you,” Celeste says as she stands. “Well, this has been fun, but I need to get going, and I’m almost afraid the love in the air might be contagious.” She scrunches her nose and mock-gags.
I stand with her, and the three of us walk back into the apartment. Celeste takes my empty glass and places it on the kitchen counter next to the wine bottle and her now-empty glass. “Everything of mine should be packed. The movers will be by in the morning to pick it all up.” She leans into Nick, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before she turns to me.
“I’m assuming since you know about our pact, you know Nick and I have been friends our entire lives. You got one thing right. I don’t have a lot of friends, so if it’s possible I would like to be friends. Nick’s important to me, and I know you’re important to him.”
“Of course, we’re going to be besties.” I wink. “How else am I going to make sure you find true love?” I grin, Nick laughs, and Celeste groans.
“And that’s my cue to leave.” She pulls her purse over her shoulder and walks toward the door. But before she opens it, she turns around and says, “By the way, when I was on my fact-finding mission to dig up dirt on you in hopes of getting you out of the picture, I read that Francesca Harper was your mom. Is that true?”
The mention of my mom has my heart tightening. “Yes, she was.”
“She was my idol.” Celeste smiles. “I literally wanted to be her when I grew up. She was walking the runway at the show I was at when I was twelve years old. Nick was there, too. Every person watching was captivated by her beauty and elegance. When I came to New York right after I graduated from high school, I was lucky enough to meet her… right before…” As Celeste’s words trail off, a lump forms in my throat because I know the words she can’t say: she was diagnosed with cancer and then died. It all happened so quickly. One day she was healthy and the next she wasn’t. Less than a year after she was diagnosed, we lost her.
“I swear I cried for a week when she passed away,” Celeste admits, “which says a lot since I don’t cry.” She sniffles and then smiles softly. “I’m sorry for your loss. I can’t even imagine what it was like to have her as a mother.”
“She was amazing…” I bite my lip to keep myself from crying. “But not because of how famous she was as a model, but because as a mother and a wife, she was the best. She always put me first and loved me unconditionally. She would let me play with all her makeup and clothes.” I laugh, recalling all the times I would get into her stuff and she would never get upset. “
Some of her model friends had kids, and they would come over to visit occasionally. The other moms were so stuck up. One time while they were having brunch we got into all of her clothes and makeup to put on a surprise fashion show.” I smile at the memory. “The other kids’ moms freaked out. But not mine. She pulled out her camera and took pictures, and then told the other moms to pull the stick out of their butts.” Celeste laughs.
“And the love my parents had was like no other. Every Friday night was date night. Even when she was away, they would video chat and pretend to be on a date. She used to tell me that just because they were married didn’t mean they stopped dating.”
“She sounds like she was a truly wonderful person,” Nick says.
“She was…and she was a beautiful model,” I tell them, “but only because she loved with everything she had.” The tears that were threatening to spill over, fall, and Nick pulls me in for a hug. When we break apart, Celeste is watching us. She doesn’t comment on anything I said, but I can see it in her eyes. She’s absorbing the meaning behind my words.
“I better get going,” she says softly. “I’ll be at the Super Bowl, but in case I don’t see you before you’re on the field, good luck. Let’s try to do lunch soon.” She looks at me. “All of us.” And then she’s gone.
“I thought you said she was the wicked witch.” I wink at Nick.
“Good thing we’re writing our own story,” he volleys back.
Eighteen
Nick
We arrive in Denver, and it’s as cold here as it is in New York. Reed is bundled up in his car seat, and the media is waiting to bombard us. Olivia handles it well, smiling politely while ignoring the questions that are flung at her. She covers Reed’s car seat with a blanket and heads straight to the car while I stay back answering various questions. Reed’s face hasn’t been seen in public yet, but it’s only a matter of time. I’ve been approached by several magazines, but it’s not happening without Olivia’s consent. My publicist put out one of those cookie cutter public statements to let the world know Celeste and I feel we’re better as friends and our engagement has been called off. She also stated I’m Reed’s dad and that I’m asking for time while I get to know my son. Obviously, based on the amount of press here throwing questions my way, they ignored my request—not that I ever really thought they would listen.