“I see what you mean.”
“Good, so you’ll understand why we’ll have to go there. Think of it as field research.”
She gasped, loving the idea completely. “Oh my gosh. Us, in Bora Bora.” She couldn’t think of anything better.
“Imagine the fun, and the field research, of course.”
“Yes, the romantic getaway research. Oh, Wes.” She moved to rest on his chest, enjoying the strength in his heartbeat. “Thank you for making me so happy.”
“And you, Taylor. I have a feeling we’re going to have a very interesting time together.”
Oh, she knew, and she couldn’t wait. She knew that being with him could only equal true happiness, something she’d always craved. He kissed the top of her head as she snuggled against him.
Regina
The sun would rise soon and it would be a new day.
It was nearly four a.m., but to her it could have been four p.m. They were advised to go home and sleep, but Regina was fine being here, waiting with her family.
Brian sat next to her in the booth in the café. The section was super quiet due to the time. Behind them was the sales assistant at the counter who looked like she’d had enough of the silence the night shift brought.
Night shift, early shift. Time seemed to roll into one lump for her.
She was doing a lot better now, feeling relieved that she could breathe again, but she couldn’t believe that Ben was gone.
It was bizarre. She couldn’t believe that a powerful man like that, with such a strong presence and essence, was no more.
He’d impressed her. Really impressed her. She was grateful that he came for her, and grateful for what he did. It would never make up for the wrong, but his attempt to try by sacrificing his life was what she would always value. In those final moments, she saw a new person she never wanted to forget. Wade and Taylor would have been proud of him, and probably felt the same as her.
Her mind ran to Wade and Chloe, and all that they’d been through. The doctors were still checking Chloe. Wade, too, because he’d broken a few ribs and fractured his collar bone. She’d go back to check on them when they finished up here.
“You know what today is?” Brian asked, breaking the silence that surrounded them.
“What day is it?” She turned and looked at him, smiling at the prospect of them. She’d waited years for this freedom with him.
His eyes sparkled with delight. “A new day.”
“It is a new day.” She chuckled.
“It’s a day where anything could happen, and it’s not reliant on anyone besides us. We don’t have to fear for our lives, we don’t have to worry about the beasts that haunted us and kept us apart. We’re done with secrets and lies, and venturing into any damn rabbit holes. It’s a blank slate. New.”
She liked that. She did. “New.” She nodded. “What should we do with this newness?”
“I think we shouldn’t waste any more time waiting.”
“I agree. All we’ve done is wait around for the last 37 years.”
“That’s a really long time.” He smiled, running his hands through his curls.
“Super long.”
“Today should be the start of our lives together.”
“Yes.”
He straightened up and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small blue velvet box.
Her hands flew up to her mouth when she realized what it was. “What are you doing?”
“Taking advantage of the day. I brought this along earlier to give me some hope.”
As she observed him, she saw the eager boy she used to know, the sweet, adventurous boy who loved her and waited for her. Except for the hints of gray that speckled his thick dark curls, and the hint of expression lines that made most men look sexier as they got older, he looked the same. Better, he looked better. He flicked the box open to reveal an extremely beautiful ring. It was one of the best she’d seen. It looked antique, almost medieval looking from the gold vines that wrapped around each other to create the band. The diamond in the middle complemented it perfectly. He went to go down on one knee but she stopped him.
“Yes,” she said quickly.
“Yes?”
“It was always yes. I will marry you. In my mind I was always married to you. You don’t have to ask.”
His smile brightened and he took her hand, slid off the ring she’d put on yesterday, and replaced it with the new one.
“Thank you for loving me,” he told her.
She shook her head and smiled. “Thank you. It’s you who deserves the thanks. You waited for me.”
“Always.”
She threw her arms around him and hugged him, relishing the thought of the new life that awaited them.
Wade
The pain hit about an hour ago, when the pain killers wore off.
He could feel it, but he was thinking about his father so much the pain didn’t bother him as much.
That poor-excuse-for-a-father insult raced through his mind. It was funny how he’d basically spent all his life trying not to be like his father, but today, yesterday, he’d gotten to see a very different side to him. A side that he hoped he would be like if the situation called for it.
It was a side that put his family first, that made him love them enough to do everything he could to make sure they were safe.
Wade more than respected him for that, he just wished he could have gotten one last chance to tell him.
It was okay, though. He’d honor his father’s memory by taking the good he could remember and treasuring it forever.
He leaned forward on the chair he sat on in the waiting area and rested his elbow on his knees.
Wade was worried about Chloe. Worried about what she could have been exposed to. The doctors thought she could have been poisoned from the gas, because she couldn’t stop throwing up and her blood pressure was super high. They’d asked him to wait out here while they did a scan.
“Wade.” He lifted his head at the sound of her gentle voice and saw her standing before him. She’d just come out of the clinic room.
“Baby, are you okay?” His midsection had been bandaged because of his broken ribs, but he didn’t let that stop him from rushing over to her and hugging her hard. “Please tell me you’re okay.”
He pulled back and gazed down into her beautiful face. She looked nervous, really nervous, and it made him panic at the thought that something could be wrong with her.
“I’m okay. I…”
“What is it? You look worried.”
She searched his eyes and bit the inside of her lip. “I’m pregnant.”
He stared at her, not quite sure he heard right. “What?” Wade had to ask to be sure.
“I’m…pregnant. Two weeks. My birth control patch ran out three weeks ago, and with everything going on I forgot the dates. I’m sor—”
“No, don’t you say sorry.” He had to stop her from continuing. Very few things in his life had made him cry. This news was one of those things. He couldn’t express the intense emotion that gripped him as he looked at the woman he loved. The woman he’d love always and forever. The fact that she was carrying his child was so overwhelming that it weakened him.
She reached up and touched his face. “You’re crying,” she said on the edge of a breath. “Does that mean you’re happy?”
“Baby, you are my happiness. I’m the happiest man alive.”
Tears ran down her cheeks, too. He bent down and kissed her stomach, wrapping his arms around her.
He had a second chance. A second chance to be a father, a second chance to do everything all over again, and he wouldn’t fail this time. He’d let the memories of Merissa and his son live on through the effort he’d make to strive to be the very best husband and father he could be.
“Beautiful Chloe.” He swooped her up into his arms, picking her up as she giggled.
The depth of his happiness soared.
Chloe
“I need ice cream, lots of
it,” she laughed, placing her arms around Wade.
Although she felt sicker than she ever had in her life, she was ecstatic, buzzing with happiness and joy beyond comparison.
When the doctors told her she was pregnant, she’d been in shock. Happy, but in shock. She’d also wondered how Wade would react. He’d just lost his father and she wasn’t sure if she should wait to tell him. The minute she saw him, she knew she couldn’t wait. She thought he’d want to know.
She knew he’d be happy, but what she saw in him was more than that. It was pure love.
It was a wonderful thing to know that he loved her. She didn’t just think it, or assume just because he said it the love was there. It was something she felt. Something she knew she’d feel forever.
“Baby, you can have whatever ice cream you want.”
“For dinner, too?” She giggled, cupping his face. She was still in his arms, loving the feeling of being so close to him.
“No, you can’t have ice cream for dinner. I think we’ll have to get Kelly to design some sort of nutrition program for you.” He laughed, knowing how much Chloe hated Kelly’s dreadful recipes.
“No, yuck.” She frowned with disdain.
She spotted Regina and Brian coming around the corner. Then Taylor and Wes.
Wade set her down, took her hand, and looked down at her. “Should we tell them?”
She nodded with excitement.
As soon as they got up to them, Wade and Chloe blurted out, “We’re pregnant!” Just like that, in perfect unison, as if they’d planned it.
Regina’s mouth dropped and both her and Taylor came at her at the same time to hug her.
“Oh my gosh,” Taylor gushed.
Regina looked so overwhelmed she started to cry. Brian and Wes looked happy and shook Wade’s hand, congratulating him.
“This is such great news.” Regina was practically glowing with pride and excitement. “Sweet girl.” She hugged Chloe again.
It was nice, this bond, this news, through all the darkness that had happened.
She looked at Wes as everyone started talking excitedly and he shuffled over to her.
“Uncle Wes, how does that sound?” She smiled.
“Amazing. You know you’re going to have to practice from now on to hide the candy,” he teased.
They both laughed.
Wade took her hand and she looked at him, getting lost in the love that beamed from him to her.
“Come on, let’s go,” he said in his trademark way, sweeping her off her feet like he always did.
Epilogue
Chloe
Six months later…
“Mrs. Vanderville, do you want some more ice tea?” Tristan, her new intern asked. He’d joined Runway last week and was going to be working with the creative team for the next three months.
He was looking at Chloe and it took her a moment to realize that he was referring to her.
“Oh, me. Yes, that would be great. I’ll have it later, though. And please call me Chloe.”
She’d been married to Wade now for just over two months, but was still getting used to her new surname. In her mind Mrs. Vanderville was Regina, but not even Regina was Mrs. Vanderville anymore.
It was her, Chloe.
“Okay, thanks.” He smiled, revealing perfect white teeth. The freckles on his nose reminded her of Wes. This guy had only just left college but had a creative talent she was hoping to harness. “I’m going to help Lisa with the new delivery. Just call me if you need anything.”
“Thank you, I will.” Chloe had decided to take all the help she could get and anything anyone was offering. Being six months pregnant was very different from being even five months. Her stomach had practically shot out into a ball as her son grew daily. A son, she and Wade would have a little boy very soon, and she couldn’t wait to meet him.
Except for being a few pounds heavier, she’d practically stayed the same size for the wedding and fit perfectly into her exceptionally beautiful dress that Pierre had designed for her.
After the wedding and honeymoon, her body had changed significantly and everyone could tell that she was expecting. To her, she looked like she was having twins, but it was just the one child.
Regina was visiting from Italy this week and wanted to meet with her. Taylor and Wes were still there with Brian. She hardly saw them these days, because when they weren’t wrapped up in each other, they were always off on vacation somewhere.
Chloe left the Closet and made her way to Regina’s office. The minute she got to the mezzanine, she spotted Kelly coming up the stairs with a small cup of that disgusting tea. Of course Kelly had taken it upon herself to learn all the necessary things to know about nutrition for pregnancy, and pregnancy in general, so she could be Chloe’s natural midwife. Whatever that meant.
“Not so fast.” Kelly saw her just as Chloe started to speed up.
These days her poor body couldn’t move quick enough to evade the tea and Kelly. She caught up to her in no time.
“I don’t want it,” Chloe said, swatting her away like a fly.
Kelly started to laugh. “It’s good for you. Think of all the benefits. Wade said I should make sure you eat properly during the day.”
“Wade said? Are you kidding.”
“If you have it I’ll get you some ice cream,” Kelly teased.
Chloe stopped on hearing that. These days the ice cream parlor that was just a few minutes’ walk seemed so far away. Chloe would give anything for some ice cream. She turned, took the tea, and downed it so quickly the liquid skipped past her taste buds. It was only the last hint of it that hit the back of her throat, and she shivered from the awful taste of fish.
“Good girl.” Kelly beamed. “Now you’ve earned that tub of ice cream,” she cooed, widening her eyes with excitement. She was loving this whole pregnancy thing. Everyone was. Her parents had spent the last two months with her, helping her do all sorts of things, and they’d be back before she gave birth. Chloe was well taken care of, and she was extremely happy.
“Thank you, could you get the multi-flavor one, with the little caramel fishes inside?” Chloe giggled.
“You bet.” Kelly laughed again as she sauntered away and went back down the stairs.
Chloe continued on to Regina’s office.
It was nice to see her inside. Looking as beautiful and sophisticated as always, Regina stood behind the desk that had always fascinated Chloe.
Like always, Chloe admired the office, looking at the white walls and the floor-to-ceiling window that gave the perfect view of the city. She loved the black-and-white tiled floor and the chandelier. The flowers, the smell, the style. It screamed fashion. The thing that fueled her creativity. Her creativity had all but exploded since her pregnancy and Fashion Week.
Fashion Week was like nothing Chloe had ever seen. They exceeded their goal to impress, and now the buzz was all about the next one.
She got so absorbed in the décor and her thoughts as she walked towards Regina that she only just saw the box on her desk when Chloe got up to her.
“Sweet girl, look at you.” Regina rose from her chair and flew around to give Chloe a hug, and of course she did that whole touch-the-belly thing everyone felt they had to when they saw a pregnant lady. For her it was fine, she was allowed to.
“I’m okay. Still wanting ice cream all the time, but other than that I’m good. How’s Brian, and everyone?” Regina and Brian were due to be married in the spring. The wedding was in Italy. By then, Chloe would have given birth and could travel. She was looking forward to it. It would be the first holiday she’d have with Wade and their little baby.
Their first family holiday.
“He’s fine, they’re all fine.” Regina smiled wide. After the whole crazy summer they had, Chloe noticed the new woman that Regina was. Now when she smiled, her whole persona lit up with this infectious warmth that everyone could feel.
The first time she saw it was after Regina first went to Italy and c
ame back to visit. She’d left Chloe and Lisa in charge of Runway while she was away and tended to come back once a month to see how they all were.
“Everyone’s enjoying being entertained by Wes and his magical creations. I can’t replace him here.” Regina laughed. Wes had been offered a job with Marvel Studios and would start in the summer, just after Regina and Brian’s wedding. He was offered the job on Christmas Eve and Chloe swore the poor guy cried.
It was the very best Christmas present for him and she was so proud. He was fantastic with all he did at Runway, but he’d always talked about doing movies. The fact that Marvel had offered him a job was beyond amazing, with his superhero obsession.
“I can just imagine.” Chloe laughed. She then looked at the box on the desk and motioned towards it. “What’s this? Are you packing stuff away?”
There kind of wasn’t anything to pack. Everything here was already neat and in its place.
“In a way. Come on, sit down.” Regina inclined her head and smiled.
They moved over to the chaise lounge and sat down. This was their favorite spot and offered the perfect position to smell the freshly made bread from the bakery across the street. “How are things here? Is it all still manageable? I don’t want you to overwork yourself.”
“They’re good. The buzz is still here from Fashion Week.”
In a few weeks’ time, it would be a year since that day when Chloe applied for the creative director position. A year since Wade returned from his five-year absence and everything changed for her.
They’d been through so much since. A lot of bad, but more good. She was happy she was at that stage where she could enjoy all the good she had in her life, and the achievements. She loved Wade to no end, she loved her friends and family, but then there was her job here.
She loved that, too, and Runway was a part of her. It felt like a living entity that went hand in hand with her creative abilities and desire to express her ideas.
Into The Rabbit Hole Page 20