Zenith Fulfilled (Zenith Trilogy, #3)

by Davis, Leanne

  “She does. Just take care of her.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Away. Seems Spencer wants to give Zenith one last shot. I wasn’t going to do it. Not until tonight. But now, it seems like the timing, and maybe everything else, is supposed to go this way.”

  “Spencer’s leaving Erica?”

  “Not exactly. They’re working it out.”

  Joelle was looking at him strangely, but finally, she smiled, and her heart shone in her eyes. “Do it this time, Rob. Do it for real. Make everything we went through worth it.”

  Rob glanced for a moment at his ex-wife, his past; for one brief moment, they could share their past. “I’m going to give it my damnedest.”

  Rob started to leave, then turned back to Nick. “By the way, your sister’s an addict and I’d suggest you address that too.”

  “What? Who?”

  “Trina. She’s not so much bitchy as looking for a fix most times. She’s on something. My guess would be prescription drugs.”

  “You don’t know shit about Trina.”

  Rob shrugged. “You’re right; what could I know about addictions? How could I possibly recognize it in another person? Hey, I just tried to tell you; it’s on you now.”

  “Did you tell Rebecca?”

  “She’s got too much on her plate to deal with little bitch sis.”

  “How do you know?”

  Rob studied Nick. “You believe me?”

  “My mother was a pill popper for a few years after our dad died.”

  Rob was startled by the admission, and Nick being so real with him. “Does Rebecca know that?”

  “Probably not. She and Trina were too young to really know. They heard vague rumors probably, but pretty much missed the main event.”

  Rob considered it. “You should tell Rebecca. For her book series. She should know that. And make sure she keeps working, Nick. Do that for her too.”

  Nick looked at him strangely. “Uh, thanks Rob.”

  Rob shrugged and suddenly leaned forward and kissed Joelle’s cheek. “Take care.”

  “You too, please take care of yourself.”

  He smiled. “I’m not as destructive as I used to be. Don’t worry. I’m not going to nurse my anger and hurt in a bar somewhere. I’m okay.”

  He turned and went towards the elevator to his next stop, a few floors down at Erica and Spencer’s. To the resurrection of Zenith, and dreams that were lost and times best left forgotten. His stomach cramped at the thought of doing this, committing, and going through with it. What if they failed again and he started drinking? What if he got nowhere, and only managed to humiliate himself all over again?

  But what if, this time, he succeeded?

  Spencer answered Rob’s knock, unsurprised to find Rob at his door at half past one in the morning. Spencer knew Rob like no one else and was well aware that he kept odd hours. He was perennially unpredictable, and often ran around at all times of the night. He liked being wild and free.

  That was why it was all going to turn out for the best. He couldn’t really have stuck it out long term on some acreage in the middle of nowhere as a surrogate stepfather and substitute husband to Rebecca Randall. It would have never worked, at least, not for long. This was Rob. The real him. And nothing would change that. He would soon be back in a world where his tattoos shone like badges of honor, style, and sex, rather than an embarrassment to proper society. He repeated to himself that this was all for the best, while trying his best to ignore the feeling of his heart cracking in his chest.

  “Let’s do it,” Rob said without preamble to Spencer. “One year. We give it one year with all the stops. All or nothing this time.”

  Spencer leaned into his doorway and the seven inches he had on Rob eclipsed him. Spencer nodded. “Anything else you want to tell me first?”

  Rob knew what Spencer meant. About Rebecca. But he had nothing to say, not now, not ever. He had to shut his heart to it, the pain and her.

  “No.”

  “Okay, then. A year. All or nothing.”

  And with that, Rob’s future was on the line. He would either be a total, utter failure, or finally prove himself and his dad wrong.

  ****

  Rob didn’t give her a chance to explain, or think, or question. She didn’t understand why he had to run off as hastily as he did. Except she did understand. He was trying to do what was best for her. He was bowing out just so her children could have the father they so desperately needed, even though Rebecca clearly wished they didn’t. Still, she had to admit they did. If Doug came back, the girls would never forget what he did to them, but would, in time, forgive him and learn to live with it. If Doug came back, it would go a long way in fixing their future lives, as well as their future relationships.

  Doug called and asked her if he could come home. Come back. As if… what? They’d just forget his absence over the last two years? He could just glibly say he was sorry, move back in, and expect things would be like they were before?

  But what other choice did she have? She had three kids who needed their father. How could she not try? It wasn’t just her life, her feelings, or her well being. It was also theirs. And she knew, as Doug asked her, that no matter what she felt, she had to give him the chance he wanted. She owed it to her children. Her heart froze with grief as she realized how much she had to give up to do right by her kids, and the family as a unit. Rob. She had to give up Rob Williams and the love, the happiness, and the future she mistakenly, but completely hoped to have with him.

  That was why she didn’t chase after Rob, or call and ask him to come back. As he well knew, she wouldn’t this time because, for whatever reason, he loved her children, and as much as he loved her, he understood what nobody else did, not even Doug: that her girls needed the chance to heal and get over the abandonment of their father. Rob knew what her daughters needed, and it wasn’t him. For a man who insisted he was always selfish, her heart nearly broke when she considered all the sacrifices Rob was making for her, and her daughters, without anyone asking him.

  Now Rob had proved to her that he genuinely, unconditionally loved her. And he loved her girls. Since he would never do anything except what he thought was in their best interests, it made her heart ache now that she fully understood.

  The man who deserved her kid’s undying devotion, wasn’t the same man who fathered them.

  Doug said he’d be flying in by the weekend, and she realized he meant it. He was coming back, and not giving her any chance to change her mind, or rethink the idea. If she did, she knew she could easily tell him to never return.

  Rebecca’s thoughts finally culminated to the conversation with her three girls, who were all seated next to her on the couch.

  “So, I have news. Good news for once.”

  They looked at her warily. They were told their father left them, on this very couch, and all were sitting in nearly the same positions. They subsequently cried rivers of tears on this couch too, huddling together after they talked to their father, while wondering why he refused to return to them. They often talked about their father, sometimes by the hour, on this couch. Each conversation only making them hurt more and missing him more while wondering what they did to make him leave.

  “Your dad is coming home.”

  Silence followed her announcement. They stared up at her open-mouthed, but no one spoke. Finally, Kayla swallowed hard and asked, “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I’m sure. He’ll be here tomorrow.” Rebecca nearly choked on the words. After everything they’d gone through, and dealt with, Doug was arriving tomorrow. Just like that. A year ago, this could have solved everything; but now, it hurt as much as when he left.

  Kathy finally squealed. “Daddy! Really? We’re going to see Daddy?”

  Karlee tried to follow along with Kathy, but there was utter confusion in her eyes. She knew she was supposed to be happy for the return of the elusive daddy she couldn’t remember. But she still didn’t really remember him
. She saw his pictures and heard everyone else talking about him, but she didn’t really know why his arrival would make her happy. Rebecca wrapped her arms around Karlee, pulling her close onto her lap, and kissed her silky head. “It’s good, Karlee. You’ll finally get to know your daddy. It’ll be great.”

  Karlee moved her head up and down.

  “Mom?”

  “Yes, Kayla?”

  “What about Rob?”

  Kayla knew Rob had become more than just their friend. He was there in the role of her mother’s boyfriend. She might not know the full details, or what sex was, but she got the subtle nuances of Rob being there that were far beyond what Kathy and Karlee saw.

  “Yes. Rob. Well, with Daddy coming home, Rob can’t come over anymore. He was Mommy’s friend, but now Daddy will be back for good.”

  Karlee stiffened. Rob and Daddy had nothing to do with each other in her mind. “Why Wob not come to thee me?”

  “Oh, sweetie, it would make Daddy unhappy. Daddy is your father, and he needs to come back and be that. Rob will always be your friend. But he just can’t come here anymore.”

  “So he left too,” Kathy finally said.

  “No. He didn’t leave. He let us go for our own good.”

  She pulled them all in for a long, hard hug.

  “I’ll miss him,” Kayla finally said.

  Karlee crossed her arms over her small chest. “I don’t thee why I can’t be fwiendth with Wob and Daddy.”

  Rebecca smiled, feeling the same way.

  ****

  Rebecca waited at the airport with her girls by the baggage carousel with Doug’s flight number etched above it. Her stomach was so twisted in knots, she thought she might throw up. She took extra pains with her appearance and put on a pretty, black skirt and gray jacket. She’d also done her hair with care, and the girls were all dressed up and pretty.

  The thing was: Doug didn’t deserve it. That was all Rebecca kept thinking as she looked at her three red-headed girls. Doug Randall didn’t deserve any of this. Having them waiting, and caring, and getting dressed up just to resume their lives with him where he left off.

  Then she spotted him.

  He stood a head above most people, blond hair, blue eyes, and glasses. He wore a button-up shirt, and no tie. He looked good. Fit and trim. He was obviously looking all around for them, his eyes scanning the crowd. Rebecca didn’t wave, or call to get his attention. She felt frozen. She was rooted in deja vu, and the hurt of her past. He looked the same and her memories nearly overwhelmed her. He was the same man she remembered. She recalled what he felt like next to her in bed, how he sat forever reading the paper on Sundays. How she liked his smell after a shower. She remembered their former lives, when he wasn’t so much the monster he’d grown to become over the last two years. Her anger at what he put her through overshadowed her memories of whatever used to be good. Right then, in that moment, he became the man who used to walk through their door each evening with a smile as he asked what was for dinner? How are the girls? The man who hugged each of them, and asked about their days.

  How could that man, the one whom she knew, leave them as long as he did?

  Then he spotted them and stopped dead. His eyes searched out hers. He looked her over and took in her appearance. His gaze held hers before he broke into a smile. A charmingly handsome, boyish smile. He opened his arms, and their three daughters, her girls, ran to him. They ran to him in unbridled joy, as if this man never left them for over two years.

  He came down to one knee, and looked Karlee in the eye, who stared at him warily. She didn’t remember him and had a frightened look when she turned to Rebecca. She smiled to Karlee that it was okay. Only it wasn’t. It wasn’t okay at all. Tears filled Rebecca’s eyes and lodged in her throat. None of this was okay. The sight of them, her girls with Doug, used to move her to tears way back when, but that was out of pride and joy that this was her family unit.

  But Doug ruined it all. He shattered her fantasies of what she thought they were. They weren’t the happy, complete family she was so delusional about. She knew they had some problems, as all couples do, and all families get disconnected sometimes and busy. She thought time would work everything out. But Doug had taken all the time away when he left. As if they were not worth saving to him. Not worth staying around for. He broke her heart just as surely as if he died.

  Now she had to smile and encourage her daughters to trust this man once again, and give him a chance. Karlee finally stepped into Doug’s arms and he smiled and picked her up, clutching her closely against him. He looked happy, genuinely happy to see them.

  When he finally put Karlee down, he took Kathy’s hand and walked up to Rebecca.

  He stopped before her and his eyes took in her transformation. What Rob never realized was that she lost twenty pounds in the two years since Doug first left. She also cut off her once long, frizzy hair. She started wearing makeup and better clothes. In the few months after Doug left, she realized how much she’d let her looks go and was beginning to appear like the stereotypical, suburban housewife. Wearing sweats out in public, even to the grocery store, where she always used to at least throw on a pair of jeans to leave the house.

  She knew she let herself go. She also realized that she let her marriage go. She was as guilty as Doug of not trying harder to preserve their marriage. She knew that. The difference with her was instead of running like Doug, she would have tried to work on it with him. If he had just asked her to put more effort into her appearance, or pleasing him, she would have listened, and certainly tried. It wouldn’t have happened as fast or as dramatically as Doug leaving them in one day. But she’d definitely have done something.

  The weight just melted off her during the first six months of being alone. She was miserable. So heartsick, and gut sick, she could hardly eat and preferred not to get out of bed. Never mind dealing with three little kids who now looked to her for everything they needed. She once felt literally buried under the weight of it all, especially when it came to the girls’ emotional states as well as her own. She grieved over Doug, their marriage, their former life together and lifestyle as if someone very important to her had died.

  And now, here stood that very man who did all of that to her. He just waltzed up to her as if he had every right to hold her children. She braced herself, and had to steel her nerves in order to be nice, and smile politely, without breaking down in middle of the airport with her kids and the rest of the world looking on.

  “Hi Becky. You look great,” Doug said, his eyes roaming over her as if meeting her for the very first time.

  She didn’t look that much different. So what if she were a bit frazzled, a few pounds heavier than what she should have been, and a little harried at times, she was never hideous to him. Becky. She hadn’t been called that nickname in a long time. No one but Doug ever called her that and she always preferred Rebecca. Everything about her physical appearance fell under the “cute” heading, so she always tried to keep her name from becoming Becky, and being just as cute as her red hair and freckles.

  “Becky?”

  She finally met Doug’s gaze. She kept staring down at the floor, feeling almost incapable of lifting her eyes to face him. The anger churning inside her was so breathtaking, and unexpected, she could hardly stand there and remain as composed as she had to. Seeing how he could walk up to her as casual as that, after everything he took from her, and comment how great she looked made her want to deck him.

  No thanks to Doug, she did look good. It was in spite of him and all the responsibility he left her to deal with, which made her look good. These three girls were both of theirs, and he had the gall to leave her with their kids, their house, their pets, their mortgage, their vehicle loans, their household, their entire lives as if he were free. With no more ties or responsibilities to them than a wayward, stray dog roaming around. Never mind the ten years when he was there and they first acquired their mortgage and loans, their lifestyle, and the kids they conc
eived together. She may have neglected him, or been too careless with the bigger things of their marriage, but he should never have left her in the lurch like he did. She did nothing to warrant that kind of punishment.

  Too bad it took her two years to believe that.

  Now her little girls were looking up at her, scared. There was fear in their eyes about what she might say. Or if she intended to drive away their daddy again. Because no matter what, someday, that’s what the girls would no doubt remember: that Doug left them.

  “Hello Doug. Do you have much luggage?” Her heart was bursting. God, like it even mattered if he had two or ten bags. For more than two years, they had not been together in the same room, and now, here he was. Her husband. Her kids’ father and she could not find one thing to say to him.

  “No. Just this carry-on and a suitcase. I’ll get it.”

  She had five minutes to breathe as he waited for his suitcase to fall through the airport baggage terminal. She turned away from watching Doug with her kids. Her daughters. As they clamored around him, talking, chatting, Rebecca thought they appeared completely happy for the first time in two years, despite how hard she tried to keep them happy. All Doug had to do was walk up before they were finally and completely happy.

  “Becky? You ready?” No. She wasn’t. She wasn’t ready at all. But she turned towards her family, smiling tightly, and took the lead through the throng of crowds, over the sky bridge of SeaTac airport, and towards the parking garage.

  “What happened to the van?” Doug asked, as she clicked the locks on her new Suburban, while keeping the keys tightly clasped in her hand. She was driving.

  “I sold it,” she said, busily helping Karlee get strapped in. Doug loaded his luggage, then came around to the driver’s side. She ignored him and got into the driver’s seat. He finally went around to the passenger side, making it obvious he didn’t like that.

  “How did you buy a vehicle like this?”

  “Nick. I had Nick buy it for me.”