Something Precious

by M. Clarke

“Open the door, Jax. I’m not here to see you or Jace.”

  Yeah, right. I glared at the door as if I could glare through it to her. “Go home, Chloe. I’m not opening the door. Jace isn’t here.” Chloe drove me crazy. She brought out the worst in me—no—she brought out the murderous side in me. There were times when I wanted to choke her. As I had promised Rachel, no way in hell was she setting foot in our house.

  “I want to talk to Rachel.”

  Yeah, right! When hell froze over, and that wasn’t happening anytime soon. Jace wasn’t home so I was going to give her a full dose of her own medicine. “I don’t hear you, Chloe. Go away. I’m going to do something I should have done a long time ago. If you don’t get off my property, I’m going to call the police.”

  “Jax, please. I want to talk to Rachel. At least let me give her this bouquet of flowers.”

  Was she crazy? I laughed to myself. “Rachel doesn’t want to talk to you.”

  A long silence sliced through the door. “I want to apologize.”

  Damn! She was good. Taking out my phone from my back pocket, I was just about to call the police, but stopped when I heard footsteps down the stairs.

  “Babe, what are you doing?” I asked worriedly.

  Wearing a long white robe, she started to tie the sash in front of her. Her hair was in disarray, but she still looked sexy to me. “What’s going on, Jax? Who are you talking to?”

  My pulse skyrocketed at the thought of having to tell her who was on the other side of the door. How would she handle this?

  “It’s Chloe. She wants to talk to you. I told her to go home. If you can believe it, she wants to apologize.”

  Rachel’s hand stopped in mid air with the tie in her hand and she stood frozen, seemingly registering my words as her eyes darted from side to side. All sorts of emotions must have been running through her, mostly hurt and anger.

  “Let her in,” she said calmly, continuing the motion of tying her sash.

  I ran my fingers through my hair, gripping it tightly with frustration, already seeing how this conversation would end. “Rachel, you don’t have to see her.” Though I would love to see Chloe get down on her knees and beg for Rachel’s forgiveness, I knew that wouldn’t happen.

  “Jax!” Chloe hollered. I could tell she was annoyed by her tone. It only made me tighten my jaw and roll my eyes.

  “It’s okay,” Rachel assured me, sitting comfortably on the sofa.

  Still standing, I placed my hand on the door as if I could protect Rachel from the monster on the other side. “Are you sure?”

  “I think it will do some good.”

  Trusting that she knew best, I hesitantly opened the door. Chloe shuffled in with a large clear vase filled with various flowers. She hadn’t been lying when she said she’d brought flowers for Rachel. I was in utter shock.

  “Rachel.” Chloe looked taken aback by seeing Rachel on the sofa. “This is for you.” She said it like they were best friends. Placing the vase on the dining table, she sat across from Rachel. As for me, I continued to stand there like a guard dog, utterly stunned by her gesture but not sure if it was sweet or malicious.

  Chloe shifted, crossing one leg then the other. “So,” she paused as if to buy some time to think, “I hope you’re okay. I want you to know that I didn’t push you. You kind of threw up on me so I had to let go.” Her tone was neutral but there was a hint of hostility behind it.

  Was she fuckin’ kidding me! “You’re—”

  Rachel cut me off by raising her hand. I really hoped she wouldn’t apologize to Chloe for throwing up on her. Knowing Rachel, she would. Grrr! I was going to have a heart attack or maybe even a homicidal attack if Chloe didn’t leave soon. I could already feel my blood pressure going up and my body tensing without my consent.

  “You know, Chloe, I wouldn’t have thrown up on you if you hadn’t placed your hands on me. So it’s kind of your fault.”

  Chloe’s eyes widened. She was just as surprised as I was. Way to go Rachel. There was fire in her eyes. It was too bad it had to burn. Sometimes one had to let the flame loose to get the point across, especially for someone like Chloe.

  “As you know, I’m pregnant,” Rachel continued with a cool, collected tone. There was no hint of anger or nervousness, which I think made Chloe shake a little. Seeing no surprised reaction from Chloe only confirmed that she had found out through someone else. “I can sympathize with you. I know why you’re here. You want to keep seeing Jace, and after what has happened, you’re afraid that I’m going to cut you out of his life. Isn’t that right?”

  “Yes—no—I mean, my contract ended with the Knights, and I’m in the process of negotiating; however, I have other offers. If I take the other offers, I’ll be traveling to Paris, England, and New York often. I just want to make sure that when I’m in town, I get a chance to see him. That is all. I know he’s better off here. I can’t take care of him. I’m not the best mother for him, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love him. It’s just that, like my mom, I’m not mother material the way it seems to come so naturally for you.”

  Rachel blinked, soaking in her words. I could tell she was deep in thought by the way her arms were crossed and her lips were twisted. God, I wished I could bite those lips right now.

  “I care for Jace just as if he were my own, and because of this, I’m not going to stop you from seeing him as long as he’s okay with it, and as long as you do what I ask. You are not welcome to come to my house. You have overstepped your boundaries, disrespected our privacy, and invaded my home. Arrange the time and place with Jax, but it will never be at my home. Is that clear?”

  Chloe dipped her head low, and then looked up to meet Rachel’s eyes again. “I’m sorry for what I did. I was desperate. I’m going to sound pathetic here, but I have no one. When I found out Jax had found another woman, all I could think was that she was going to take away my home, my Jace. When I stepped back, I could see what I had done. It was...cruel. I will understand if you can’t forgive and forget.”

  “I can’t give you an answer right now. All I can say is thank you for coming to clear the air and for the flowers.”

  Chloe stood up. “Well, I’ve taken enough of your time. I also have some errands to run. Thank you for your time.”

  Her heels clicked on the floor as she walked toward the door, holding tightly to her purse, and holding her head high as if she were doing the catwalk. It was her way of holding it together, to let us know that she was not defeated. She might have apologized, but she would never have done it, had we not had the ball in our court. That ball was Jace. Then finally, she was out of our house.

  Rachel and I exchanged glances with opened mouths after I had closed the door. “Can you believe what just happened?” I asked, plopping myself next to her.

  “I know. It’s a miracle that she apologized.” She shook her head in disbelief. “I feel sorry for her. Someone like her—beautiful, with a great job—had to make herself feel better by manipulating and lying to get her way. It really is sad if you think about it.”

  My expression changed to impassive, wondering what I ever saw in Chloe. But then again, we weren’t serious. I had just slept with her. Telling me she was on birth control pills—now that was a trap I had not seen coming. I was quite surprised at how Rachel had handled Chloe. Rachel had always been in the backseat when the conversation was about her. She had never given me her opinion until recently, and of course, when everything fell apart around us after Chloe had entered back into our lives. One of my faults was that I only saw with tunnel vision. Had I been more in tune with Rachel’s feelings, I might have been able to stop the chaos. But it was too late to turn back time. What was done was done. We just had to make sure we communicated better and moved forward with the lessons learned.

  “I think you did a great job with Chloe. You showed her who is boss.” I kissed her forehead.

  Rachel’s lips contoured awkwardly. It was her way of letting me know she felt bad, but she shouldn�
��t. “I didn’t mean to. I never should have to talk to a grown-up like that, but she needed to know where I stood. She needed to know that I wasn’t going to take her shit anymore. No more lying. No more trying to weasel back to you. With Jace, there isn’t much I could do about that since she’s his biological mom—but I swear Jax, if she hurts him in any way, emotionally or physically, we’re never letting her see him again.”

  And that was the reason why I loved my Rachel. I didn’t think it was possible to respect her any more, but I did. Now there was no more room to love or respect her more—because that was filled to the max.

  Chapter 29

  Rachel

  The cool sand seeped between my toes, and the light warm breeze reminded me where I was. I loved the smell of the fresh air that expanded my lungs with peace. Looking out, the water flowed in and out from the shore. Today the waves were gentle and kind, like they knew that it was a special day and they needed to behave.

  Our parents had no idea that we had almost called off the wedding, and they certainly had no idea that I was pregnant. We wanted to wait until the doctor gave us the green light, and he had. I wasn’t showing any signs of being pregnant, so it was easy to hide the fact that I was. It was even better when I had stopped vomiting and was able to hold down food. Yup, I ate like a pig, but I’d only regained the weight that I’d lost.

  The doctor said the baby was perfectly healthy, as indicated by the ultrasound and the heartbeat. It was the reason we weren’t worried about traveling to Kauai for our wedding. It had been approximately two months since I’d found out I was pregnant, taking me to the end of my first trimester. The baby was now growing strong and healthy. I told Jax it was due to all his love and pampering. He doted on me, took care of me, and often took time off work even though I went to work. He had taken on a different role.

  On our last visit before we flew to Kauai, Jace came to the doctor’s appointment with us. He had been so excited to hear the baby’s heartbeat that he also wanted to know the sex of the baby. Then he asked the doctor a bunch of the same questions that he had asked us. The most prominent one: how are babies created? We avoided that question like it was the plague. That question would have to be answered later, way later.

  A couple of weeks before we traveled to Kauai, Becky and Jenna threw me two bridal showers, one at work and one for family and friends. Even Jax’s model friends came. With the large number of guests, it was held at the Ritz-Carlton. I was overwhelmed with their generosity, support, and love. Of course I kept my pregnancy a secret, but it was difficult when I wanted to shout it out to the world.

  My parents, Jax’s parents, Hendrix, Stacey, Jenna, Becky, Max, Matthew, and their children were the only ones invited to the wedding. Jax and I had agreed that we would have a small family wedding at the site where he had taken me on our first date—where we were almost attacked by the sharks. But that was not the part of the memory that stood out, besides the breathtaking scenery. It was where he’d proposed to me. It was the first time I had witnessed a family of turtles, and it was on the same night that the stars had aligned with two big stars side by side. Next to it was a little one, and next to that one was another little faint star. Jax had told me it was our child. And it was, the child I was carrying in my womb.

  I gazed into the mirror and saw the wedding dress of my dreams. The woman looking back at me was so content that happy tears pooled in her eyes. Becky’s veil flowed down the side of my dress, held in place by my mother’s tiara.

  “You look gorgeous,”my mother praised, holding her hands together as if she would break down and cry if she didn’t. I knew it was taking every ounce of her willpower to stop herself, because I was doing the same thing. Her eyelashes fluttered as she took a deep breath.

  Everyone had come a few days early to hang out and enjoy each other’s company. Jax and I had planned it that way so that we could feel at ease and relax before the wedding. It wasn’t hard to do when coming to the island. Everything was slow-paced and serene. As if my body already knew, my muscles eased from the stress of work and life in general as soon as the plane had landed. It was like being in another body. That’s what being in Kauai did to a person.

  “She definitely is,”my father said, standing next to my mom, looking proud and emotional. I’ve only seen him get this emotional one other time, and that was at Becky’s wedding.

  I smiled back at my parents, thinking they were aging gracefully. They looked younger than their age for sure, but noticing their slowed pace when walking and how easily tired they became, I realized their bodies were a different story.

  “Thank you,”I said, wiping the few pearl drops that had escaped the corners of my eyes.

  Becky strolled in with the bottle of water I’d requested. I had to say, the magenta strapless long dress looked really great on her. Magenta was the theme of my wedding. I couldn’t help myself. It was the fall color at New York Fashion Week. Ever since then, I couldn’t look at any other color.“Everything is ready. It looks beautiful out there. The sun is almost setting. Mom, go take your seat. Rachel, are you ready? You have something blue—the garter Stacey gave you.”Becky pointed at my head.“The tiara is something old and the veil is something borrowed.”She paused.“Crap!You don’t have something new.”Becky should have been my wedding coordinator. Although I had one, being my older sister, she couldn’t help but take charge.

  “Becky, it’s okay. I’m wearing the turtle necklace Jace and Jax got me for my birthday. It’s something new.”

  About a month ago, we had celebrated my birthday. My parents flew down and we celebrated the weekend together. Jace was so excited to give me my present that he practically told me what it was. Jax, on the other hand, gifted me a diamond eternity ring and a long, passionate night of hot sex I would never forget. Just thinking about that night had my sex on fire. I swear I could still feel him inside me.

  Becky released a sigh of relief and her eyes dropped to my necklace.“Beautiful. Now, you’re ready.”

  Becky was my maid of honor. She would be the only one standing with me. Since we had planned our wedding to be very small and private, it would have looked ridiculous if everyone we had invited, besides our parents, was part of the wedding party. I looked at my parents as they were gazing back at me in awe. It was almost the same expression I gave to Jace. I knew it was the same expression I would give to my baby inside me. It was said that you never knew what another person really felt unless you’d been in their shoes. That day, I could say without a doubt, that I could feel my parents’love for me—because I understood that love then, more than ever.

  “Mr. Miller, you ready to walk Rachel down the aisle?”Jenna asked, tugging my dad.

  “Let’s go, Mom. It’s time.”Becky led her out of the cave.

  The cave was the only private area and where I stayed so that Jax wouldn’t see me until it was time. It wasn’t a real cave, but we called it a cave because it hid us from everyone else. People would never be able to spot us from above, and it didn’t look inviting from the outside, but it was. That was the place Jax and I had spent our first night together. Also, the wedding coordinator, Brenda, had suggested that it was a perfect place as well, instead of pitching a tent.

  Brenda dashed in, her dark hair bouncing on her shoulders. “Are you ready? Everything is all set. We’re just waiting for you.”She handed me a small bouquet of purple and white orchids.“Here you go. Now you’re ready.”

  “Yes.”I smiled, feeling a bit nervous as butterflies danced in my stomach.

  My dad made me laugh with his question to Jenna,“I don’t get it, Jenna. Can you please tell me why my daughters can’t get married in a church like other normal brides? Becky got married on a bridge with all those locks in Paris, and Rachel is getting married on the beach in the middle of nowhere.”

  Jenna giggled, leaning into my dad.“Oh, Mr. Miller. Don’t you know by now your daughters are not normal? They are exquisite human beings.”

  The lines under my
dad’s eyes were more apparent when he gave Jenna an ear-to-ear smile with a snort.“You’re so right.”

  The soft instrument echoing into the cave was our signal. My dad took my shaky hand and linked it around his arm. His patting my hand told me that everything would be just fine, just the way he had when I was a little girl. Then I suddenly got nostalgic, thinking about my life when I lived with my parents. I would no longer be Rachel Miller. In less than an hour, I would become Mrs. Rachel Clark. Jace would officially be my stepson, and I would finally have a family of my own.

  As the soft tame breeze caressed my hair, I felt a tiny shiver of warmth from the sun. The weather was just perfect. My hand glided down my silky white dress, and I gently pressed my hand to my stomach and said to my baby, it’s time little one. Even though you’re not born yet, you’re with us every step of the way.

  My father led me down the white runner on the sand that had been topped with pebbles so it couldn’t fly away. There were white and purple orchids scattered so they were under every step I took, giving it a garden feel. Up ahead was a covering that looked like an open tent made with bamboo and was draped with orchids to keep the sun out. Another one had been set up for our guests as well. It wouldn’t matter soon; the sun was setting, giving a magnificent view, casting a hue of deep pink and purple across the sky.

  Approaching me, Jace was wearing a white button-down short-sleeved shirt with a magenta bow tie and black dress pants. His hair was sleeked back, and when he smiled at me, his eyes lit up. But when his eyes fell lower to the turtle necklace, his dimples became pronounced. He looked exactly like Jax, but a smaller version. To the right of Jace was Matthew, wearing a black tuxedo. His smile was warm and I could feel the brotherly love from it. Then my eyes finally shifted to Jax.

  I wanted to cry. The thought of almost missing what was the happiest moment of my life brought out emotions I didn’t know were hidden. How could I have ever thought I could live without him? Putting away those feelings, I thought about what was happening in the present. It wasn’t hard to do, being the center of attention, and with Jax smiling at me like I was the most precious thing he’d ever seen.