Right Girl

by Lauren Crossley

  Right Girl

  By Lauren Crossley

  Right Girl

  Copyright © 2016 Lauren Crossley

  All Rights Reserved. This book may not be

  Reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed

  Or electronic form without consent from the author.

  Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of

  Copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

  All characters and storylines are the property of the author and

  Your support and respect is appreciated.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious.

  Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and

  Not intended by the author.

  Cover Photo © istockphoto.com

  I just want to take this moment and thank the person who is reading this. I appreciate and value every single one of my readers and want to dedicate this book to you. I cannot imagine a world without reading and I’m so thankful for the authors who have influenced me, whose stories have made an impact on my life as well as the magic they can create through their writing. I hope you manage to find the escapism you might need while reading one of my books, venturing into the fictional world I’ve created for you. Authors and readers are united by their love of reading and I am so thankful I get to share this with you.

  Thank you.

  Chapter One

  It’s so strange how your life can just change in an instant. It’s also frightening how your entire future can be shattered within a split second. I stand in front of my sister and her baby, staring at them both in absolute shock and horror. Rachel’s baby girl is beautiful with her dark hair and sparkling brown eyes staring back at me…

  Zack’s daughter.

  “Don’t you have anything to say to me?” She asks, struggling to conceal her triumph.

  “You… you had the baby?” I whisper, placing my hand against my chest in disbelief.

  “I had Zack’s baby.” She reminds me intentionally. “As you can see.”

  “I-I don’t know what to say.” I stammer, taking a deliberate step back.

  “The evidence is right in front of you.” My sister gloats, placing the small baby back in her pram. “Can’t you see the resemblance?”

  “Rachel, why are you still talking to her? Don’t waste your time or energy on someone so beneath you.”

  The monster I encountered exits the store he first entered, joining us once more. The sound of his voice and the smell of his cologne forces me to move away. My fear is that I’ll throw up in front of everyone if he comes anywhere near me and being in his presence is enough to paralyse me with terror.

  “You’re right, Dad. I don’t even want to breathe the same air as her anymore.” Rachel responds harshly, narrowing her eyes at me in disgust. “Let’s go.”

  The two of them turn away and head inside the store we’ve been standing outside of. The woman who answered Rachel’s phone call and brought the baby to her follows, ignoring them completely.

  I hold onto the wall beside me in an attempt to support myself and feel somewhat balanced, desperate to calm the tumultuous storm from raging inside my head. My mind is swimming and my heat is racing, terror and anxiety consume me, threatening to destroy me as I remain frozen.

  The sound of my phone finally pulls me out of my deep contemplation and I force myself forwards, scrambling for it as I try and put some distance between myself and what just happened.

  “Hello?” I answer faintly, grasping my phone tightly.

  “Samantha, it’s Audrey. I just thought I’d phone and see where you are because you’re a little late. Is everything ok?”

  I completely forgot that I was supposed to be meeting up with my friend and rake my fingers through my hair in torment.

  “No, everything is not ok.”

  “What’s wrong? What’s happened?”

  “I’ve just seen Rachel.”

  I hear her inhale sharply, shocked by my revelation.

  “I’m so sorry. Where did you see her?”

  “She’s here… she’s in town right now.”

  “Listen, I’m still waiting for you in the place where we arranged. Please just come here so we can talk about this.”

  “I-I can’t think clearly. I don’t know what to do!” I cry, fighting my way through the bustling crowds as I search for the exit.

  “Samantha, take a deep breath. Everything is going to be ok.” She assures me, speaking calmly.

  “It’s not!” I wail, shaking uncontrollably. “I saw him.”

  “Who?”

  “Harry!” I yell loudly, sounding frantic. “My uncle. He’s here with Rachel.”

  I told Audrey about what happened to me as a child a couple of months ago. She’s still the only person I chose to confide in after I told Zack about the abuse I had suffered. She vowed to keep it to herself and I trust her with my life.

  “There’s no reason for you to be scared of him now.” She assures me kindly. “He can’t hurt you now. I promise you he can’t.”

  “Help me.” I beg her, almost crumpling to the floor beneath me.

  “Do you want me to come and get you? Tell me where you are.”

  “No! I don’t want to be anywhere near him. I’ll meet you where we arranged.” I inform her, hanging up the phone before I push myself forwards.

  I shove people aside as I try and see through my endless flow of tears, ignoring their angry protests and strange glances.

  I arrive at the small café a few minutes later, bursting through the main door as I search for my friend. She’s sitting by the window and waves me over, cradling me in her arms as soon as I reach the table.

  “Everything is going to be ok.” She soothes me, speaking softly so no one else can here her. “You’re safe now.”

  “But for how long?” I ask her. “How long will I be safe for?”

  “Forever.” She replies, sounding certain. “You have Zack now and he won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  I realise I have to tell her the whole truth if I want her to understand and can’t hold anything back. Exhaling slowly, I take a seat and wait a few moments before I make my next revelation.

  “Audrey… he has a daughter.”

  “Who? Who does?”

  “Zack has a daughter with my sister. Rachel lied about having an abortion and decided to have the baby instead.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “I just saw her with my very own eyes!” I exclaim despairingly. “She’s the image of Zack and the right age to be his child. She must be a couple of months old and those dates match up with Rachel’s due date.”

  I stare out the window, wiping away my tears as they continue to fall. Audrey reaches across and takes hold of my hand, stroking the back of it in an attempt to comfort me.

  “Samantha, I’m so sorry.”

  “I can’t believe they have a child.” I murmur, incapable of comprehending such a monumental and life-changing discovery.

  “Even if they do have a baby together, that doesn’t change the way that Zack feels about you. He adores you and won’t let this come between you.”

  “How can he stop it? There’s nothing he can do about it.”

  “Zack can still be with you and be a father, it is possible.” Audrey says, trying to convince me.

  “How can e after everything that happened between the three of us? Rachel will never accept our relationship and I can’t say that I blame her.”

  “So what are you going to do?” She enquires gently, awaiting my response.

  “The only thing I can do… I have to tell Zack.”

  Chapter Two

  I couldn’t bring myself to eat anything but stayed in the café fo
r a couple more hours with Audrey. I knew I needed to take some time before facing Zack and wanted to try and figure out what I was going to say to him before he picked me up.

  “What are your plans for the rest of the day?” Audrey asks, waiting outside with me.

  Zack called me a few minutes ago to let me know he was on his way to pick me up. Hearing his voice somehow made me even more nervous and now I can’t stand still or even focus on what my friend is saying to me.

  “Zack has booked a hotel for us to stay in tonight.” I reply, shaking my head in an attempt to clear my thoughts.

  “Oh, Samantha… that sounds lovely.”

  The empathy and concern in her voice is palpable and I force myself to look away so I don’t have to observe her pity.

  “It was going to be perfect but now… everything is ruined.” I murmur, folding my arms across my chest in a protective stance.

  “Don’t say that when you don’t know how he’s going to react.” Audrey chastises me firmly. “It might not be so terrible.”

  “Even if Zack handles the fact that he now has a child with my sister, he’s not going to deal with the news that harry is back quite so well. He’ll kill him if he finds out he’s close by.”

  “But you have to tell him.” She reminds me, refusing to back down on this. “There’s no way you can’t.”

  I told Audrey about my uncle when we were still in the café. She was horrified when I informed her that he’s made amends with Rachel and acting like her father. I do realise that he is her biological parent but he played no part in her life until now. It was my father who raised her and treated her like his own child. None of us even knew about Harry being my sister’s real dad until my spiteful mother broke the news to me several months ago.

  “I know I have to tell him.” I whisper, squeezing my friend’s hand tightly. “No more lies, right?”

  Zack’s car pulls up besides us a few minutes later and he winds down his window, dazzling me with his brightest smile. He looks so happy and content within himself… it makes what I’m about to tell him even more difficult.

  “Hi, baby. Did you enjoy lunch?”

  His question is pointed at me but I can’t even speak to him. I’m lost for words and just stand there, staring at him like an idiot.

  “We had a nice time and it was nice to see the birthday girl on her special day.” Audrey interjects, saving me from such an embarrassing moment.

  “That’s great. Do you need a lift back, Audrey?”

  It’s so kind of Zack to offer her a ride home but I know we need some time alone. I have no idea how or when I’m going to tell him about everything I’ve found out but know we need to be alone for that to happen.

  “I brought my car with me but thanks for asking.” My friend informs him.

  “I guess I better go then.”

  I turn to face her and she embraces me warmly, soothing me with words of comfort before we part ways.

  “Are you going to be ok?” She enquires, speaking quietly so Zack can’t hear us.

  “I guess I’ll have to be.” I shrug, smiling weakly.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow, ok? Try and enjoy the rest of your night.”

  “Thanks, Audrey. You’re a good friend.”

  She squeezes my hand one more time before she goes, making her exit down the street as I climb into Zack’s car.

  “You sure you’re ok?” He demands as soon as I put my seat belt on.

  “I’m fine.” I lie, trying to sound convincing.

  “You’re not upset about anything, are you?”

  I can tell he doesn’t really believe me when I say that everything is alright but I’m determined to keep on pretending until I feel strong enough to tell him about what I’ve found out.

  “Why would I be upset?” I challenge him, staring straight ahead out the window. “It’s my birthday and tonight is going to be perfect.”

  It’s almost like I’m reading from a script. My mouth is pronouncing all the right words but I don’t really believe it.

  The rest of the afternoon is somewhat quiet seeing as we spend most of it in our apartment. A huge part of me longs to blurt out my news the second we walk through the door but the other part of me knows how important it is to break it to him gently.

  He knows something is wrong but I’ve made it clear that I don’t want Zack to push me on this. He was reluctant to let it go but finally accepted that I’ll open up to him when I’m ready. He went on to work in his office for the remainder of the afternoon and I was left alone.

  I almost considered asking Zack if we could cancel our arrangements at the hotel but didn’t want to upset him. Today is my birthday and I know we both should try and make an effort.

  We arrive at the hotel for eight o’clock, checking in at reception right on schedule. I leave Zack with the arrangements and take a look around, remembering the first time I came here and how it changed my life forever.

  “I still remember what dress you were wearing that night.” Zack whispers, coming up behind me.

  “You do?”

  I turn around to face him, surprised he can remember what outfit I was wearing nearly a year ago.

  “Of course.” He replies, appearing certain. “It was white and looked incredible on you, so elegant and sexy.”

  “Do you wish I had worn it again tonight?”

  I seek an answer and look up at him, wondering if I should have worn something from the past just to remind me of it.

  “It doesn’t matter what you wear… you still look beautiful.”

  Zack places a kiss against my lips and takes my hand, grabbing the key from the receptionist on his way.

  The room is exquisite and I find myself overwhelmed by its splendour, just like I was before.

  “It really is beautiful.” I blurt out, taking a seat on the expansive bed in the centre of the room.

  “I hope it’s not too painful for you to come back here.” Zack says, kneeling down in front of me. “It’s just that I wanted to recreate what we first shared when we came here and hope I made the right decision when picking this hotel.”

  “I love the fact you brought me back.” I assure him, stroking my fingers down the side of his handsome face. “It’s just difficult when it comes to dealing with all those memories… all that guilt and secrecy.”

  “I thought being here would help bring some closure to all those things.” He reminds me, taking hold of my hand. “We no longer have to feel guilty about being together and we don’t have to worry about deceiving the people around us. This is our time and we don’t need to feel any shame about that anymore.”

  “The whole purpose of us coming here was to have sex.” I recall, raising my eyebrows at him. “Sex behind my sister’s back.”

  “Samantha, you need to let that go now. We both do.”

  “And have you?” I demand. “Have you let it go?”

  “Yeah.” He sighs wearily, letting go of my hand so he can rub the centre of his forehead. “Yeah, I think I have.”

  “I guess it helps that she’s living in London now, right? It certainly helps me knowing that we won’t bump into her or anything.”

  “Precisely. I can’t even imagine how uncomfortable that would be.”

  I pause, allowing myself a few moments so I can process everything. How the hell will he react when he finds out she’s not so far away? How on earth will he react when he finds out she went ahead and had the baby? His baby.

  “We still might see her again though. There’s always that possibility.”

  “Can we please not talk about Rachel right now? This night is supposed to be about us, remember?”

  He stands up and walks towards the bay window. It looks out onto the luxurious gardens which surround the hotel down below and I decide to join him.

  “You’re right.” I say, stroking his back lightly. “No more talk about the past… not when we have tonight.”

  He turns around to face me, pulling me against his chest. I inha
le his masculine scent and make myself a promise…

  Tomorrow. I’ll tell him everything tomorrow.

  Chapter Three

  Zack and I have a later dinner and decide to take a walk amongst the picturesque gardens. We then take a seat at one of the tables outside and sit opposite one another. It’s similar to the one we sat at the first night we came here all those months ago and I can’t help the rush of memories which threaten to consume me.

  “Samantha, what’s wrong?” He demands, watching me intently.

  “There’s nothing wrong.” I lie, trying to avoid his penetrative gaze. “I’m fine.”

  “Please don’t lie to me.” He commands firmly, leaning forward in his seat. “Something has been troubling you all day.”

  “Can we discuss this later?” I beg him. “Please?”

  “No, let’s discuss this now. I want to know what’s bothering you and you’re going to tell me.”

  I sigh deeply, frustrated that he won’t let this go. I just know he’s going to go on at me until I break down and reveal everything to him.

  “Zack, you don’t know what you’re asking of me.”

  “I just want you to be honest with me, ok? Tell me what’s wrong.”

  He’s extremely persistent and almost confrontational. It’s as though he’s challenging me and the thought of that is somewhat intimidating.

  “I didn’t want it to come out like this.”

  “Sweetheart, just tell me.” He says, speaking softly.

  The antagonistic edge to his voice has disappeared, replaced by the familiar tone I’ve become used to. It weakens my resolve and moisten my lips, trying to prepare myself for the next part of this.

  “You’re a father, Zack.”

  He inhales sharply, freezing right in front of me. Neither one of us says anything as I begin to tremble, awaiting his response with so much fear.

  “What did you say?”

  “Y-you have a child.” I stammer, clearing my throat which feels like it’s now closing up.

  “Y-you mean…?”

  “Yes.” I assure him, staring at him when he starts to shake his head in disbelief.

  “You mean you’re really pregnant?” He whispers, sounding incredulous as well as hopeful.