Songbird Freed

by Lisa Edward

  Cole looked around at the number of people in the ballroom. At a guess, I would say most of the guests had arrived by the way the ballroom had filled, and were now milling around, chatting happily to each other.

  He rubbed his hands together. “No time like the present, I suppose. Do you have a mic? Preferably a headset.”

  Jay quickly helped Cole mic-up as they discussed what song Cole should sing. I then stepped back and watched as Cole took up his position in front of the four-piece band.

  As Jay was briefing the other guys, I felt a hand on my back. Turning, I was greeted by my dad’s smiling eyes, my mother beside him.

  “Hello, Jellybean.” Dad kissed my cheek warmly. “What’s happening?”

  “Cole’s about to sing,” I told them excitedly.

  My mother’s face was priceless. She looked like a teenager at a concert for her favourite band.

  The music started, and Cole’s gaze found me. He gave me a cheeky wink, then started singing. The song he’d chosen was ‘The Way You Look Tonight’, originally by Frank Sinatra, and I knew he’d chosen it for me. He started off apprehensively, his eyes scanning the crowd as people stopped to see who was singing. Finally, his eyes settled back on mine, and I smiled lovingly, trying to encourage him to let loose and sing the way I knew he could. It worked; his voice opened up as he found his groove, sitting perfectly in the song.

  I started swaying to the music as Cole sang his heart out, all the while holding me in his emerald gaze, a slight smile touching his lips. As always, he was amazing, and my eyes teared up as I watched the love of my life finally be the person he wanted to be.

  At the musical bridge he came over, kissed my hand, and then scooped me into his arms and twirled me around. My head dropped back as I laughed out loud at how rom-com this moment was. But we finished the song, dancing together and gazing adoringly into each other’s eyes.

  My emotions were in overdrive as Cole held me close, and I could see his eyes misting over too. As the music came to an end and we stopped dancing, I ran my hands down Cole’s chest. His heart was galloping so fast, the look of devotion in his eyes taking my breath away.

  “Tara,” he whispered. Then ever so slowly, he sunk to the floor on bended knee before me.

  My hand went to my mouth as I realised what was happening, my breathing shallow.

  “I love you, Tara,” he said, before removing the microphone headset. “You’re the only girl I’ve ever loved. You have my heart. Every day you bring so much happiness and love into my life. You’ve accepted me and all my flaws, and you make me want to do better, to be better, because you deserve nothing but the best.’

  My hands shook, as I listened, absolutely captivated by every word Cole was saying.

  He took my left hand in his, and I quickly wiped the tears from my cheeks with my right.

  “I don’t have a ring yet …”

  Looking at the massive promise ring on my other hand, I quickly released my left hand from Cole’s and slipped it off, passing it to him.

  “Now I do,” he said, grinning at me. His eyes dropped to my hand for a moment, and I could see the deep breath he was taking when his chest expanded.

  Tears of joy streaked down my cheeks, but I couldn’t move as Cole raised his eyes to meet mine again. All I could see was my future gazing back at me.

  “Tara, will you marry me?”

  My voice caught in my throat. “Of course I will,” I croaked. “I love you so much, Cole.”

  The ring was slipped on before Cole stood and hugged me to his body. Stunned silence surrounded us, and then slowly the murmuring voices rose to a chatter. I couldn’t care less what everyone was saying; what everyone else thought wasn’t important. All that was important was that Cole and I were together.

  Jay leapt on Cole, hugging him, then turned to me and kissed my cheek.

  Dad came over to shake Cole’s hand as my mother waited eagerly to give him a hug. It was so funny, watching my mother around Cole. She was far from an affectionate person, yet she could hardly contain herself when he was near. She never hugged me hello or goodbye—a brief awkward kiss on the cheek was the best she could manage—but for Cole, she practically launched herself at him every time they met. This time was no exception. Cole stepped back, just managing to get out of her vice-like grip as he smiled warmly at her.

  We were chatting happily, answering questions about the baby and when we wanted to set a date, when I noticed Prue out the corner of my eye.

  Nudging Cole, I indicated to Prue with a tilt of my head. She was standing a few feet away, nostrils flared like a raging bull.

  Instinctively, Cole took my arm and guided me around the other side of him so he was blocking her path to me. “Don’t worry, babe. If she charges at you, I’ll crash tackle her to the ground.”

  I couldn’t help giggling at that image.

  He beamed at me, his eyes shining brightly. “No one is going to touch you or Sprout.” Then, just to drive the point home, he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck from side to side in preparation.

  I burst out laughing, which didn’t go down well with Prue.

  She stormed over. “You have some nerve, showing your face here after the embarrassment you caused,” she raged at Cole.

  “Excuse me?” he countered. “This is my family home, and my family ball. So I have every right to be here with whomever I want.” He squared off to her, towering over her at a head taller and twice as wide. “If you can’t be polite then perhaps you should leave.”

  The crocodile tears were coming as her eyes glazed over. People milled around, closing in so they could hear the exchange more clearly. Prue’s demeanour changed as she realised her sweet and-innocent-facade needed to be maintained.

  “Oh, Victor.” She held his arm. “I know you were nervous about our engagement, but to propose to her, on the rebound, like you just did …”

  What the hell?

  “Can we talk privately?” Her eyes flicked towards me for a moment. Obviously the word ‘privately’ meant not in front of me.

  “I don’t think we need to, Prue. You’ve known all along, ever since we were kids, that I didn’t want to marry you. If you had any self-respect you would want to be with someone who loved you, not just someone who could pad your bank balance.” He took my hand. “But if you want to have this out in private, the three of us can go outside to discuss it further.”

  She glanced around at the crowd that had formed, turned on her heels, and stormed out to the balcony.

  Cole sighed, smiling apologetically. “Sorry, babe. This should have been a happy moment, but I guess Prue is a loose end we need to tie up.” We followed Prue outside, finding her leaning against the balustrade, arms crossed.

  As we drew closer, her eyes dropped down to my stomach. “Well played, Tara. Get yourself pregnant so he has to support you,” she scoffed. “I didn’t think of that.”

  “Firstly, Prue, I didn’t deliberately fall pregnant.” Instinctively, my hand went to my baby bump. “But now that I am, we are absolutely delighted. And secondly, you would need to be sleeping with Cole to get pregnant, so it would never have happened for you.”

  “How do you even know it’s your baby?” she said to Cole.

  Cole stepped forward. “Don’t even go there, Prue. You’re treading on shaky ground.”

  “Sounds like you’ve hit a raw nerve,” a weasley little voice said. It was Spencer Worthington. He had followed us outside, his group of lackeys scurrying behind.

  Of all the people to be eavesdropping in on this conversation, it was the person I hated second most in the world.

  “Oh, how the mighty have fallen,” he jeered. “A broken engagement, singing with the band for your supper, and a shotgun wedding with the town bike.”

  Before I could react, Cole had taken three strides and held Spencer by the collar, lifted off the ground.

  “That’s very funny, maggot,” Cole barked in his face, “because I’ve never felt more like a ki
ng.”

  Spencer looked terrified, but his group of hangers-on were there, so I guess he felt he had no choice but to play it out.

  “Sounds like …” Spencer’s feet were dangling in the air as he tried to break free. “… you’re not even sure who the daddy is, tough guy.”

  Cole dragged him, one handed, over to the balcony railing, then tipped him head first, backwards over the edge threateningly. It wasn’t a big drop, we were on the ground floor, but the sentiment was there as Spencer clung onto Cole’s hand, begging him not to let go.

  “Well I know whose it isn’t, smart mouth. It’s not yours because you’ve never touched Tara.”

  “Oh, yeah, that’s what she says. She probably couldn’t remember half the dicks she’s had,” Spencer choked out.

  My hand flew to my mouth as Spencer’s friends sniggered at me.

  “I know one that she hasn’t,” Cole’s voice bellowed, “and that’s yours.” He leaned down over Spencer as he tipped further over so his feet were once again off the ground. “And do you know how I know that? Because the night you drugged her, I’m the one who got her home before you laid a finger on her.”

  “I never drugged her.” Spencer’s arms were flailing to stay balanced as Cole edged him further over.

  “Oh, really?” Cole jerked his arm so Spencer dropped for a second before being pulled back up again, making him screech like a girl.

  “All right, all right. I may have put something in her drink.”

  There were gasps. More people had joined us on the balcony to see what the commotion was.

  “And …” Cole prompted.

  “And I never touched her. When I went upstairs she was gone.”

  Cole dragged Spencer back over the railing, dropping him to the ground. He came over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

  “Should have done that ten years ago,” he said, cupping my cheek in his palm. “No, wait, I should have done this ten years ago.” Cole stormed back over to where Spencer was still clamouring to his feet. He pulled him upright, then with lightning speed, punched him in the jaw, knocking him back down.

  My dad was beside me, the sadness in his eyes breaking my heart. “Jellybean, if you want to press charges, just let me know.”

  I shook my head. “It was a long time ago, Dad, and nothing happened.” I looked over my shoulder at Cole. “Cole took care of me then, just like he does now.”

  Looking around at the gathering of people, it seemed the entire party had moved outside to the balcony.

  Cole’s mother came bustling through the crowd, totally embarrassed by the scene her son had caused. “Victor, how could you? You’ve disgraced the family name yet again tonight. I’ve never been more disgusted with your behaviour; I’m ashamed to call you my son. I can’t believe after everything I’ve done for you—”

  “You mean despite everything you’ve done to him,” I intervened. “Cole has turned out to be an exceptional human being, with the biggest heart I have ever seen.”

  Victor stepped forward, placing his hands on Lucinda’s shoulders.

  “Seriously, Dad, are you telling me you had no idea what she was doing to me all those years? Or how utterly miserable I was?” Cole asked.

  Victor’s look of confusion as his head turned towards his wife for answers confirmed that he hadn’t known, or at least, hadn’t wanted to know.

  Cole shook his head, resignedly. “You don’t have to keep calling me your son. You certainly never treated me like I was.”

  Taking my hand, Cole started leading me back inside.

  “How can you choose her over your own family, Victor?”

  “Tara and the baby are my family now. I’m going to have an amazing life with a woman I love more than words can express, and we’re going to give this little baby everything.”

  We turned back around. Only a few more steps and we would be through the door and away from everyone.

  “Don’t you turn your back on your family, Victor,” Lucinda threatened. “You stop and turn around this instant. Are you listening to me?” she screeched. “Victor!”

  Cole stopped mid stride, and my heart dropped. He had come so far and was so close to being his own man after all the years of suffering at her hand. Did she still have that hold on him?

  He turned slowly. “My name is Cole, Mother, and you will address me accordingly.”

  REACHING MY hand down under the sheet, I felt the stubbled jawline and the source of the lips pressed against my stomach.

  “What are you doing?” I groaned groggily, “It’s—” I squinted at the clock. “—five in the morning. Go back to sleep.”

  His whiskers brushed against my hip, making me giggle. “Stop it, that tickles.”

  He did it again. “I’m worshipping at your altar,” he replied between feather-light kisses.

  In the half-light, I looked down at that gorgeous, sexy grin on his face. “You’re crazy, is what you are.”

  “It may surprise you to know that I don’t just love your … fun bits.” He chuckled, his eyes gleaming. “I love every inch of you.”

  “Really?” I queried, not buying it for a minute.

  He leaned up, his forearms on either side of my body, supporting his weight.

  “Yes, really. Your neck is long, slender and elegant. Your arms are graceful.” His finger traced the length of my arm lightly. “This curve of your belly is so sexy.” His lips brushed against my stomach again. “And don’t even get me started on your back.”

  I smiled. “My back, really?”

  He pulled himself up so he was lying beside me, then wrapped his arm over my chest and pulled me into his body.

  “I’ve always had a thing for your back. Do you remember when we went to your beach house, and I gave you the massage after you kicked my butt playing pool?”

  Of course I remembered. I’d been lying naked on the bed with just a tiny towel covering my backside while Cole had run his hands over my back and down my thighs.

  “I remember. You asked me if I wanted to see your piercing.” I bit my bottom lip playfully. “You know I really did want to see it.”

  He grinned. “Probably a good thing you said no.” He kissed my cheek and pulled me closer, his warm breath in my ear. “I was so fucking hard at the time.” Pulling back, he looked deep into my eyes and sighed heavily. “Who am I kidding? I was rock-hard the whole weekend.”

  I ran my hand down his cheek, cupping his jaw. “I noticed quite a few times, especially when you were cuddling up behind me, nuzzling in my hair.”

  The look in his eyes changed. His lips brushed against mine. “You never pulled away, even when I was pressing against your back.”

  I shook my head. “No, I didn’t.” I ran my hand slowly down his abdomen to his length.

  “See what you do to me?”

  I giggled. “You’ve got a permanent hard-on.”

  “Only when I’m around you, which is pretty much all the time.” His hand ran over my stomach to between my thighs. “What should we do about it?”

  “It’s still five in the morning. I need my beauty sleep,” I complained playfully.

  “Hmm, so sleepy sex it is then.”

  I rolled over onto my side so my back was to Cole.

  He leaned over, his breath hot in my ear. “You don’t need any beauty sleep. You couldn’t get any more beautiful.”

  He closed in behind me, rubbing himself against me until he felt my wetness, then slowly entered me from behind. Slow, deep movements filled me as I pushed back against him. His arm wrapped over my hip, his hand burrowing between my thighs. I closed my eyes as the repetitive motion heightened my senses.

  Cole pushed deeper, hitting up against me, and it felt tender for a moment, but we kept going. Again it felt tender as he slid in deeper, the piercing rubbing against me.

  “Not too deep, babe. It feels … not sore, just uncomfortable.”

  He stopped immediately, pulling out.

  “You don’t have to stop,”
I told him, rolling over to face him.

  He leaned over, flicking on the lamp.

  “Oh fuck, babe, you’re bleeding.” Cole gasped.

  I followed Cole’s eyes downwards, the horrified look sending fear coursing through me. There was blood on him, on the sheet, on his hand. I kicked the quilt off. Blood was smeared between my thighs.

  “Stay there,” Cole instructed, leaping up, “I’ll phone Dr Vincent.” He raced out of the room and I lay perfectly still. I didn’t know what else to do. I was too scared to move. Right now there was some blood, but what would happen if I stood up? Would I lose Sprout? Wrapping my arm over my face, I tried to calm my breathing, I could feel my heart thumping in my chest as my breath hitched in my throat, and I burst into tears.

  Cole was still holding the phone to his ear as he entered the bedroom. His face was ghostly white as he listened to the voice on the other end. He sat on the edge of the bed beside me, taking my hand in his to calm me.

  After a few more moments, he said goodbye and hung up. The phone dropped to the floor as he hung his head in his hands for a second, trying to compose himself.

  “We need to head over to the hospital,” he told me, his voice trembling, his head still hanging low. “Dr Vincent will do an ultrasound, and if everything is okay with Sprout,” a sob caught in his throat, “she’ll do some sort of procedure to close your cervix.”

  He turned his head to look at me. Looking at the total devastation on his face as tears covered his cheeks, I knew I had to be the strong one.

  “It will be okay, babe,” I tried to reassure him. “Sprout will be fine.”

  He shook his head, his eyes boring into me. “I’m so sorry, babe. I … I didn’t mean to …” His voice cracked as the tears he tried to hold in broke free.

  I gingerly sat up, and wrapped my arms around him. He buried his face in my hair as we wept together for the little baby we wanted so desperately to be all right.

  Cole drove like a bat-outta-hell to the hospital, his jaw clenched tight as he swerved between cars that were blocking our path.

  Dr Vincent was already waiting for us and ushered us straight into the ultrasound room where she could check for Sprouts heartbeat.