The Complete Legacy Series: Books 1 - 6

by Paula Kay

  “Shall we order the pizza then? I’ll hang with Jemma so you can get back to your work for a little while before she goes to bed, and then I will be all yours.” He leaned over to kiss the tip of her nose. “Hey, whatever it is that’s bothering you—it’s going to be okay. I promise.”

  She was a lucky woman. Chase was busting down the thick walls of distrust around her, one by one. And with each step forward, though not easy, and certainly scary for her, she was marking things off on the list inside her head. He’d certainly been the first guy in a long time at all worthy of her mental checklist.

  She offered him a slight smile in response, but inside she was completely stressed out thinking about the conversation to come.

  Chapter 8

  Blu sat waiting for Chase on the sofa, as he went to refill their glasses of wine. She pulled the blanket tight around her, the night ocean breeze blowing cool air in through the windows. A welcome chill to help clear her head.

  Jemma had gone to bed after they’d finished their pizza, overtired from the lack of sleep the night before. Blu had tried to work for a bit while Chase and Jemma watched a movie, but she wasn’t in the right head space. Finally she’d given up, sitting in her corner chair of the workroom with a glass of wine, attempting to put her jumbled thoughts together about everything that was happening.

  Why is it that I always expect the worst possible thing to happen? She smiled, despite the grim nature of the question, because she did know the answer. She’d learned some hard lessons in her life, one of which was that really crappy things seemed to happen to her. And good things have happened too. It was Arianna’s voice in her head now. And it was true. A lot of good things had happened to her lately—good things were happening, even now.

  She glanced up as Chase entered the living room with the wine; she thought that his timing was impeccable, as always. A gentle reminder of those best things.

  “Here you go, darling. I opened another bottle for us.”

  Blu smiled as she took the glass of Chianti from him, thinking that he must have an idea that they were in for a good long chat. It would feel good to get some of these things out in the open with Chase. She’d shared hardly anything with him about her background, while she had already met his parents, who lived nearby up the coast a bit.

  She’d known, early on, that Chase had come from a wealthy upbringing, and one of the things that intrigued her the most was the fact that he worked so hard. She’d guessed that he wouldn’t have had to make that choice, but he had a passion for food and cooking, and when he expressed his interest in culinary school, his parents fully supported it. So Blu knew that she would like them, that they wouldn’t be the pretentious type, and she’d been right about that. They were very lovely and welcoming to both Blu and Jemma when they’d shared a meal at their lavish home a few months ago. She instantly liked them, and seeing how Chase interacted with them made her fall for him that much more.

  “Come here.” Chase took the glass out of her hand and pulled her to him on the sofa. “You look like you could use a big hug.”

  She did. She welcomed his embrace and let him hold her to him tightly as she finally released the tears that she’d been holding in for the past few hours. He just held her tightly, stroking her hair and letting her cry. She’d never been this vulnerable with him before, and rarely with anyone, really. She couldn’t remember the last time that she’d cried, and certainly not in front of someone this way.

  “Blu, what’s wrong? Maybe I can help you if you tell me about it.”

  She knew that he must be pretty confused. She would be, looking at someone who seemed to be on the brink of major success yet completely falling apart at the seams. She took a deep breath, pulling herself out of his embrace to sit up and take a big sip from her wine.

  “Chase, I need to tell you some things about my past.”

  He was nodding for her to continue as he took her hand in his.

  “I—I’ve been on my own for a long time. Since I was sixteen.”

  “Okay.” He waited for her to continue.

  “My home life sucked, really. It was nothing like yours—like Ari’s. Pretty much you could say that I came from the complete opposite side of the tracks in terms of how I grew up.” She had joked about growing up in a trailer park before with Chase, so she didn’t think it would come as a total surprise.

  “Okay. You know that none of that matters to me, in terms of the kind of person you are, right?”

  “Yes, I do know that.” She smiled. She knew that Chase couldn’t care less whether or not she came from wealth. He had proven time and time again that he wasn’t like that. He was the kind of person who had friends that were millionaires and also had best buddies who were street performing surfers with not a care in the world when it came to financial success.

  She took another sip of her wine, getting up the courage needed to just tell him everything. Well, not everything. But a lot more than what he did know about her. “So when I joked about being trailer trash, I really did grow up in a trailer park and—”

  “You are not trailer trash. Far from it, Blu.” She noticed a look pass across Chase’s face as he interrupted her.

  “Okay, well, that’s how I grew up and, stereotypical as it sounds, my mom was an addict with a lowlife live-in boyfriend that—that used to abuse me.” She cast down her eyes to avoid looking Chase in the eye.

  His eyes narrowed and she saw his whole body flinch in response to the fist he was clenching in obvious frustration. “What did he do to you?”

  There was no mistaking the pain in his eyes and the anger in his body over the story she had begun to tell.

  “My mom was with him since I was around ten years old.” God, how is that my mom could really have stayed with him all those years? “At first it started with his punishments. He’d use a belt, or sometimes he’d just haul off and hit me with his fist if he was drunk enough. He was out of control, really. And high most often. They both were. God, I hated them both so much.”

  Chase reached over to pull her towards him, but not before she’d seen his eyes tearing up. “Honey, did he—did he do anything else to you?”

  Her face was wet with tears as she nodded, burying her head in the comfort of Chase’s chest, his arms hugging tight.

  “God, Blu. I’m so sorry that happened to you.” They both cried silently, and Blu thought that she’d never felt so close to another person in her life. Finally, after a few moments, she pulled herself up again, disengaging from his arms to reach for her wine.

  “That’s how I got my name.” She usually told people that her nickname came from being such a tomboy that she was always turning up to school with scrapes and bruises, but the truth was that every bruise and mark on her body came from that monster Harold in her home—in their piece-of-crap trailer where there was never any place to escape his foul moods. And her mom was too strung out on drugs to ever care or do a damn thing about it.

  Chase let the silence fill the space between them for a moment as he held her hand and seemed to be gathering his thoughts. Blu’s tears had dried up and she felt as though a big weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Finally she felt a sense of freedom with this man who’d had so much patience for her over these past few months.

  Chase took her face gently in his hands, tilting her head until she had no choice but to meet his steady gaze. “I want you to know two things beyond a shadow of a doubt.” Blu nodded her head, trusting him more than she ever had up until this point.

  He continued. “The first is that you didn’t deserve any of what happened to you growing up. You do know that, don’t you?”

  Blu nodded her head in response; she did know it. She’d worked for many years to recognize that fact and was determined to be as healthy a role model for Jemma as she could be; and that included teaching her what it meant to have self-respect, to believe that she deserved only the best things in life.

  “The second thing is that I want you to know how much I lo
ve you.”

  Blu was shocked that her eyes were brimming with tears again as she looked at him. Such sweet words coming from this man that she loved. And she did love him. She fully realized it in this moment. She looked up at him, her heart filled and open, maybe for the first time in her life.

  “I mean that, Blu. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here for the long haul with you—with you and Jemma.”

  She put her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, willing her lips to speak the depths of emotion that were welling up inside her. She pulled away for a moment, looking into his eyes as she gathered what felt like courage, but knowing there was no need for anything other than the truth of her feelings.

  “I love you too, Chase Parker.” She grinned widely when she saw the look of surprise on his face. “Oh, stop, silly. You know I’ve loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you.”

  “Is that so?” He teased her as they got comfortable lying on the sofa together, with more conversation ahead.

  Blu opened up to him that night, telling him just how bad it had gotten and how she finally left for good and had been on her own ever since. She shared with him her fears about the publicity and how it was bringing up so much dread that she’d be hearing from her mom after all these years.

  He would protect her, he said, and there was nothing that her mom or Harold could do to her, but she wasn’t convinced. She had Jemma to think about, and when Chase started asking questions about that time in her life—when she’d had Jemma and who the father was—she’d asked him if they could save that conversation for another time. The conversation that night had taken a lot out of both of them, and they’d turned a major corner in their relationship. For that, Blu was incredibly grateful and allowed herself to let the fears go, if only for the night.

  Chapter 9

  Blu sat in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee and feeling blissfully happy after the night she’d shared with Chase. It was the first time that she’d allowed him to sleep over, and that was only after multiple promises that he would sneak out early before Jemma was awake. It was the first time that she’d really let him in emotionally as well and it was this, more than the physical, that was causing her to feel so content and connected to him.

  She was glad to be up early because there were still a few things to be done before Gigi and Douglas arrived late morning. Her housekeeper, Maria, was coming in early to make sure that all the bedrooms were ready, for the couple and for Lia, who would be arriving later in the day. It would be nice to have a house full of people there again, and Jemma was beside herself with excitement. Blu wanted to get a bit of work done because she knew that the rest of the weekend would be full of chats, drinks, and walks on the beach. Chase had promised that he’d return later that afternoon to cook them all a nice dinner.

  Blu and Jemma were sitting outside on the deck when Gigi and Douglas pulled up the driveway in the car that Blu had sent to pick them up. Jemma raced over with Blu following behind and laughing at the child’s excitement to be reunited with the people who loved her so much. All the family we need, baby girl, is gonna be right here with us.

  “Jemma, give them a moment to get out of the car, silly.” Blu laughed as Jemma pulled Gigi out the door by her hand.

  “Bella, look at you, sweet girl. You’ve grown so tall.” Gigi was hugging Jemma to her; Douglas came around to get his big hug from the young girl.

  “That she has indeed,” he said, tousling her hair. “I hope that you have a lot of fun things planned for us this weekend.”

  “I do,” Jemma said, grabbing him by the hand. “I can’t wait to show you the special spot that Mom and I discovered on the beach.”

  “Jemma, give them a minute to come inside and get settled. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of time to go to the beach,” Blu said as she crossed over to give her friends big hugs. “It’s so good to see you both.”

  “And you.” Gigi took a step back, scrutinizing Blu for a moment.” And why do you look like the cat who swallowed the canary?” She laughed.

  Oh God, is it really that obvious? Blu felt her cheeks grow hot as she thought about the night she’d shared with Chase.

  “Silly. Nothing to tell here.” From behind Jemma’s back Blu mouthed the words “we’ll talk later” and winked at her friend.

  A few hours later Blu sat outside sipping a glass of wine with both Gigi and Lia, who’d arrived as well, while Jemma enjoyed a walk on the beach with Douglas.

  “Finally, some much needed girl talk,” Lia said, laughing.

  “Yes, don’t think I forgot what you alluded to earlier,” Gigi said, winking at Blu.

  Blu laughed at Lia’s quirked eyebrow and funny expression.

  “Do tell,” Lia said.

  “I assume it has something to do with that handsome chef of yours?” Gigi smiled. “And the fact that I’ve caught you yawning every other time I’ve looked at you since I got here. Did someone keep you up last night?”

  Blu laughed and filled her friends in on the short version of the events of the night before, leaving out the details of both their intense conversation and the intensity of their lovemaking. She was no prude, but for the first time she felt it was important to keep some things just between her and Chase, to give their relationship a certain amount of respect that she’d never allowed in a relationship before.

  It wasn’t that Gigi and Lia didn’t know about her tough upbringing. They did know pretty much everything that she’d shared with Chase, as did Douglas. She’d long since felt comfortable confiding in them; after Arianna died she went through some tough times that required some therapy and a lot of processing when it came to the issues of her past.

  The sound of the sliding door interrupted the conversation taking place among the three women. Blu turned around to see Chase making his way to them, dressed in his chef’s uniform and looking more handsome than ever.

  “Speak of the devil,” Blu teased, grinning broadly.

  “Oh, is that so?” Chase winked at Lia and Gigi as he bent down to give Blu a quick kiss on the lips. “I certainly hope that you’re not telling all our secrets.” He laughed.

  “No, no secrets.” Blu smiled and reached her hand around his waist. “How was your day?”

  “My day has been great, and is about to get even better as I settle into the kitchen to prepare you all a feast for this evening.”

  “Really, Chase. I hope you know that you don’t have to do that.” Lia was quick to jump in, voicing a concern that she’d expressed to Blu earlier.

  “Ah, but I love to cook for my friends. And I know that you know all about that,” he directed towards Lia, who was laughing and nodding in agreement.

  “Fair enough.” Lia said.

  Blu smiled at the exchange, because she knew that Lia was exactly the same way when it came to cooking for those she loved. How lucky had she gotten to have two incredible chefs in her life?

  “You will tell me if you’d like some help?” Lia asked Chase.

  “Yes, I will. And, in fact, I would love to do some cooking with you at some point while you’re here. I have an event coming up that will be Italian cuisine, and I’d love to impress them with some authentic Tuscan recipes.”

  Lia was nodding her head enthusiastically.

  “But not for tonight. Tonight I work and you relax out here with your friends.”

  Blu caught a glimpse of her friends through the kitchen window, sitting around the table with Jemma, enjoying the food that Chase had prepared for them. Her life felt pretty complete. She had an amazing boyfriend, a loving daughter, and the most wonderful friends anyone could ask for. Her career was about to take off in a way that she never could have imagined. Yes, life was good and she was finally allowing herself the chance to enjoy what she’d worked so hard for. Everything that Arianna wanted for me.

  She heard the tone signaling a text and went over to her phone on the counter. It was a note from Kate, telling her that she’d just forwarded an important email to her t
hat had come via the contact page of Blu’s website. She pulled up the email and grabbed the bottle of wine that she’d come to retrieve from the fridge, crossing the floor to head back to the patio as she skimmed the email.

  Crash! The bottle slipped from her hand as she stood just inside the door, her heart racing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gigi, Lia, and Chase getting up from the table.

  “Ah, I’m such a klutz. Gigi, Lia, you two sit and enjoy the sunset.” She tried to keep her voice even, to not show the panic she was feeling.

  Her eyes locked with Chase’s. “Chase, can you come help me with this please?”

  He excused himself and got up from the table to join Blu standing amidst the broken glass. He bent down to start picking up the pieces, asking her to get some towels and a broom without stopping to notice what she was sure was a look of terror on her face. When she didn’t move from her spot, he looked at her to speak again.

  “Blu, what is it? Your face is as white as a ghost. Are you okay, darling?” She saw a look of worry cross his face as she shook her head to indicate that she was not, in fact, okay.

  Chase took her by the arm and stepped over the remaining pieces of glass as he led her to a seat at the breakfast table. “Let me get you a glass of water. What’s wrong, baby?” He looked really worried now.

  “I just got an email.” Blu’s voice was very quiet as she lay down her phone in front of them so they could both see it to read.

  Dear Angela, (or I see that you’re going by Blu now)

  I know this might catch you by surprise, but I’ve been wanting to find you for awhile now…looking for you with no luck. I saw you on TV the other night. I’m so amazed and proud of your success.