Vandervilles: Book 1 : When Beauty Met The Beast

by Khardine Gray

Wade walked back towards Chloe with a glass of water. It was nearly three a.m. and she looked shattered. She sat on the sofa by the window. Her eyes fixed on the driveway as she waited for Taylor to return.

  He'd sent Kelly to bed because she looked like she was desperate for sleep. He insisted that Chloe go too, but she refused.

  They'd told him all that had happened and explained how they'd searched for Taylor everywhere. She wasn't taking their calls, either. When he tried he got the same thing, except now it seemed that she switched her phone off because it went straight through to her answer service.

  He understood why. It must have been difficult for Taylor to come to terms with what she'd witnessed tonight. She probably just needed some time to process everything.

  He felt angry for her and sad at the same time because he knew she was crazy about Richard.

  Chloe turned to him and took the water when he handed it to her. She then watched him as he sat before her.

  She'd called him earlier and said she needed him. Wade didn't need to be given any further information. He'd jumped on his bike and rushed over, getting to her as quickly as he could.

  "You think I'm worrying for nothing, don't you?" She pressed her lips together.

  "I think…" He gazed into her eyes. "Using Taylor was a good excuse to get me here. Although I would have still come if you just admitted you missed me." He sometimes found that a little lightheartedness could ease the tension in a situation.

  A small smile played on her lips for a moment. Then it was gone. She looked away from him and out the window.

  "I do miss you," she admitted.

  Wade wasn't sure if he'd heard her. She spoke so softly it could have been a whisper of something else.

  "I'm not sure if I heard you properly," he stated.

  She looked back to him and drew in a breath. In the amber glow from the standing lamp, he could just make out the lighter parts of her eyes. "I miss you, Wade."

  He watched a small tear run down her cheek.

  "There's a remedy for that." He leaned towards her and rested his elbow on his knees.

  "I don't want you to feel like I want to own or control you."

  He shook his head. "I was out of line to say that to you."

  "It's okay. It's how you feel. Relationships aren't for everyone." Her voice sounded fragile as she spoke. Wade looked her over, observing her petite frame, her silky blonde hair, beautiful eyes, and sweet personality.

  What he felt for her didn't just stem from the crazy month they'd had. It went further back than that and spanned across years. Right back to his first memories of her when they were children.

  "I love you," he told her. It was the first time he'd ever said that to anyone aside from his mother and Taylor.

  Chloe stilled and stared at him as if she was trying to figure out what he'd just said. Her lips parted in a delicate O and trembled slightly.

  "Wade."

  "Yeah?"

  "What did you just say?"

  "I love you." He said it again, this time with more meaning. "I love you, and I don't deserve you. When you came to me when you were eighteen I didn't turn you away because I didn't want you. It was because I was a mess and I didn't deserve you. I still don't. There's stuff that happened that I'm not proud of, but I guess I thought I'd changed enough to try to deserve you, but I screwed up."

  "No…" She shook her head. "It was me."

  "How so?" She didn't do anything wrong.

  "I was scared. Scared of falling for you and it terrified me when I did. I love you too, Wade."

  That was the very best thing he'd ever heard in his life. He looked at her trying to take in everything she said, how she looked, how he felt.

  He wanted to remember this moment for as long as he lived.

  He reached out, took her hand, and brought it to his heart. "What do you want to do?"

  "I want to be with you," she replied, staring deeply into his eyes.

  "You can, and you have me. All of me. Chloe, it's important that you know I would never, ever cheat on you or hurt you in any way. And right now all I want is your love and respect."

  She brought her hand to her mouth as she tried to keep herself from crying. It made him feel bad for what he'd put her through.

  "Baby, come here."

  She moved to him when he pulled her into his embrace. As she rested her silky head against his chest, Wade felt better than he'd felt in a long time. He felt complete. He felt like everything he needed was right here in his arms.

  There was a lot to tell her. A lot he'd have to tell her. Things he didn't want to talk about but would have to. He wanted honesty in their relationship.

  He'd seen the pain that dishonesty brought with it and he didn't want that with her. Chloe represented all that was good and pure in this world. She was his chance at happiness. And he wanted to be that for her too.

  She lifted her head to kiss him. When her lips touched his, his heart swelled within his chest.

  "I haven't congratulated you yet," he spoke against her lips.

  "What for?"

  He had to laugh. "I heard there's a new creative director at Runway."

  She looked up at him and smiled. "I forgot." The smooth skin on her cheeks flushed.

  "How on earth could you forget that, doll?"

  She chuckled weakly, showing her exhaustion. "Love makes you do the craziest things."

  "I agree." He bent to kiss her again, wishing they were at his place so he could make love to her.

  In his pocket his phone buzzed and he could hear the soft ringtone. Chloe pulled back and he shuffled around so he could answer it.

  He expected to see Taylor's name flash up on the display, but it was his mother. Wade answered the phone in an instant thinking that something must have happened to her.

  "Mom." He spoke quickly into the phone. Chloe straightened up.

  "Wade." His mother was crying hysterically.

  Wade stood up. His heart hammered in his chest as he listened to her cry. "Mom, what's happened?"

  "It's Taylor, she's been in a car accident," she wailed.

  Wade sucked in a sharp breath and looked at Chloe, who had already started to cry.

  Chapter 13

  Chloe

  Once again, her instincts were right.

  She wished that she was worrying for nothing and that Taylor would have come home, rant about Richard, cry, and Chloe would comfort her.

  Chloe truly wished the bad feeling she'd gotten that something had happened to Taylor was just her overreacting.

  But it wasn't. She wasn't overreacting at all.

  As Chloe looked at Taylor lying motionless in her hospital bed with cuts and bruises all over her face and arms and multiple tubes attached to her, she didn't know how she was going to cope.

  She and Kelly stood on one side of the bed crying together, while Wade sat with an inconsolable Regina on the other side. Wade held her as she cried from her soul.

  Taylor was in a coma, and her vitals were low. They'd been told that the next twenty-four hours were crucial. She'd had emergency surgery that was able to fix some of the damage done from the accident, but she'd lost a lot of blood and her internal organs had suffered a significant degree of damage. The doctors said she was lucky to be alive.

  All they could do now was hope.

  It didn't seem real. It didn't seem right.

  How could it be that one minute Chloe was in Wade's arms telling him how much she loved him, and then next she was here, in this horrific situation watching her best friend fight for her life?

  It felt like someone had pulled her into a hellish nightmare, and she really wished she could wake up.

  The doctor came in again and looked at them all. There was a solemn expression on her face. Chloe couldn't recall her name but appreciated the support she'd given them since being here. She walked over to Regina and bent down to one knee.

  "We'll continue to monitor her, but you should go home and get some rest," she advis
ed.

  "I can't leave," Regina cried. Wade ran his hand over her head, trying to calm her. He looked distant and his gray eyes vacant.

  "You've been here practically for the whole night. All we can do is monitor her and hope that our work was able to save her."

  "I can't leave her." Regina sounded like she was in agony. Chloe's heart went out to her. She'd never seen Regina look so distressed.

  "Okay. I'll get you some blankets and try to make you comfortable. It's probably best, though, that everyone else goes. Just so Taylor can rest. If her mind is awake, she'll be able to hear you, and we want her to use the energy she has to rejuvenate." The doctor looked at the rest of them as she stood up. "If there's anything any of you need don't hesitate to ask."

  "Thank you," Wade replied.

  Chloe tried to talk, but no words came out. The doctor offered a sympathetic look at her before she left.

  "I'll go find Dad," Wade offered as Regina straightened up. She nodded, then latched onto his hand as he was about to move away.

  "And Brian. Please, Wade, can you call him too?"

  Chloe remembered Brian from years ago. He was a good person to have here now. She remembered how nice he was and offered a friendly, fatherly warmth that she liked.

  "Of course." Wade gave her hand a gentle squeeze then got up.

  Chloe moved out of Kelly's hold and went over to Regina. She didn't want to leave either, but she knew it was for the best. Besides, she'd rather make herself useful elsewhere than stand there feeling powerless.

  Regina held her hand out to her as she approached. "My sweet girl," she said to Chloe.

  "She's strong. She'll pull through it. She has to." That was the best that Chloe could say because she didn't want to think of the alternative. She couldn't allow herself to.

  Regina nodded. "She has to." Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks, and she tried to catch her breath.

  "I'll go and take care of Runway," Chloe told her. Regina's eyes filled with admiration.

  "And I'll help," Kelly offered.

  "Thank you," Regina said. "Thank you, both." She looked from Chloe to Kelly.

  Chloe focused on Taylor for a few moments. She wished with all her heart that she'd done everything possible to stop her from seeing Richard. If she had, Taylor wouldn't be here. Chloe would have warned her away from Richard and this catastrophe would never have happened. Wade reached out and took her hand. His warm hand on hers drew her focus to him. To the love she felt for him. She gazed into his eyes and fell into step with him as he moved to go.

  They left Regina inside and made their way out to the parking lot.

  "Let me come with you," she said to Wade. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him.

  "You need sleep."

  "But I—"

  "Kelly, will you take her home and make sure she sleeps?" Wade interrupted her.

  Kelly nodded. "Yes, of course."

  "Thank you." He cupped her face, leaned forward, and kissed her. "I'll see you later."

  "Are you going to be okay?" Chloe searched his expressionless eyes, trying to see what he was feeling.

  "Baby don't worry about me. I'll be okay." He bent to give her a quick kiss, but as he moved away, she knew he was far from okay. "I love you."

  She could listen to him say that forever. Right now it gave her strength. "I love you too. Please, be careful."

  "I will," he promised, and with that he walked away in the opposite direction. Chloe noticed how weak and shaken he looked. It was a stark contrast to the strong person he was.

  She hated this powerless, useless feeling. She hated to feel this way. She hated the situation and blamed herself even more for the part she played.

  Wade

  His father lifted his head when Wade entered the kitchen. He'd been reading a newspaper while he drank his morning coffee. The TV was on low in the background with the news.

  Selena, their newest and youngest maid, was just unloading the dishwasher, and as she bent over to retrieve a cup, Wade watched with disgust as his father stole a glance at her ass before returning his gaze to him.

  "Morning, son," his father said with a bright smile.

  Selena turned and acknowledged him.

  "Selena, could you give us a few minutes of privacy please?" Wade was so worked up that he didn't know how he managed to say that with such calm.

  "Sure," she nodded.

  "What's going on Wade?" his father asked, setting the newspaper down on the table next to his mug. He watched Selena go through the door.

  Wade looked at his father. It was evident he didn't know about Taylor, and he hadn't checked his phone. He didn't care enough to check his phone that must have had at least twenty messages from him on it. What man had a family and didn't check his phone on a regular basis?

  Worse yet, his father knew the situation with this stalker, psycho person.

  Any normal person would have had their phone glued to them. Any normal person would have contacted the police.

  Wade could have done with his support at the hospital. He'd had to be strong for everyone, but the walls of his insides were collapsing in on him. His insides were collapsing, caving in on themselves, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do as he watched his little sister fight for her life.

  "Where've you been?" Wade took each step with precision as he walked towards his father.

  "Busy," his father replied with a smirk.

  Warmth rose from the soles of Wade's feet. It glided up his legs, making his nerve endings tingle and his stomach clench. It rushed over his chest and washed over him as he tried to steady his breathing. He was dangerously close to his father now, and Wade hoped for his father's sake that he chose his next words wisely.

  "Busy doing what? Or should I say doing who?" Wade stared into the gray eyes that mirrored his own. He hated that he looked so much like this man. He hated it because his worst nightmare was to become him.

  He watched as his father leaned his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. "Wade you're a grown man now, and you're well versed in the type of marriage your mother and I have. I have to satisfy my needs somehow."

  All Wade could do was stare. There was a lot of issues at work here. A lot Wade had on his chest, a lot he had on his mind.

  "Of course," Wade began. "And you've been satisfying those needs for a very long time. From as far back as I can remember."

  Taylor was in hospital. She wouldn't get any better with their father's presence, so Wade decided to get what he needed to off his chest.

  "Okay, St. Wade. When last I checked, we were just as bad as each other where women are concerned."

  That was it, no more patience, no more calm. Wade lunged forward and grabbed his father around his neck. He lifted him from the chair and shoved him so hard into the wall the decorative plates on the overhead shelves fell forward and smashed.

  "I am nothing like you!" Wade roared. They were both the same height, but Wade was ripped with muscles. "I would never treat my wife the way you treat yours, and I would never neglect my children the way you have. I'm far from a saint, but I'm not you and don't you ever compare me to you again. Now Dad, tell me where you were last night."

  Wade wanted to hear him say it.

  "I was at my office, screwing my secretary," he answered with a hint of a smile. So blunt, so plain, no shame. No respect.

  Wade released him and stepped back. He had to move away or else he would have killed him. Wade would have killed him without a moment's hesitation.

  "Thanks for letting me know. I hope you had fun."

  "I did." He had the audacity to smile.

  "Well, you should know that while you were busy screwing your secretary, Taylor was in a car accident and she's in hospital. There's a chance she won't make it."

  At least that elicited some reaction of shock. Wade watched his father's face contort in anguish.

  "What? No. What?" His voice shook as he spoke, but Wade didn't care. He didn't want to be here anym
ore.

  "You and I are done. Finished," Wade replied. "You really are a poor excuse for a father. You're the worst person I know."

  "No, son—" His father grabbed on to his arm, but Wade shook him off.

  "Don't. I mean it, we're done." Wade walked away from him, leaving him to his thoughts and the news.

  His heart was beating so ferociously that he thought it was going to jump out of his chest from the rage that raced throughout him. Wade felt like screaming. He felt like bellowing from the top of his lungs and screaming until there was nothing left of him.

  The last time he felt like this he left L.A. He left because he couldn't deal with the shame and guilt of his actions.

  This was different but felt the same. It was the same, the same damning feelings that ate him up from the inside and threatened to wear him down. He was all for positivity, but the truth of the situation was that Taylor could die.

  His knees weakened at the thought, and he felt light headed.

  Wade proceeded outside but stopped at the top of the steps when he saw a black Porsche parked outside. On the hood sat the beautiful brunette who filled his dreams with nightmares. Everything stilled inside him.

  It was fitting that she would be here, that she would make an appearance today. One of the worst days of his life.

  Dressed in full black leather, her smooth brown hair flowing behind her in the light morning breeze, Marissa looked every bit the same as she did five years ago.

  Or, rather the same as she did before the accident.

  Before the accident that killed their baby.

  To be continued …

  About the Author

  Khardine Gray is the author of such acclaimed romances as I Only Have Eyes For You, Complete Me and Hearts Entwined.

  She writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense.

  Her books have drool worthy heroes who will make you melt, and sassy, fun loving, ambitious heroines.

  She loves writing and simply adore her readers.

  She’s from the Caribbean but currently lives in England with her husband and two kids.