Forbidden Forever

by Christy Dilg

  Callie steps on the stage to sing and the room is silent. Her voice is truly breathtaking. She chose the song "Stronger" by Kelly Clarkson. She belts out the lyrics and I know she is singing this one for me. I hear the emotion in her words and it brings me in and holds me there. It's not a sad sappy song but a powerful one where the woman is the winner by letting go of the jerk in her life and moving on to something more. I can hear her telling her dad off and laughing in his face that I finally got something I deserved. My poor kids and the crap they have to deal with when it comes to their dad, but in the end it has made them stronger, too. I know that Kaleb will treat the ladies in his life with respect and I know that Callie won't accept anything less.

  The crowd goes crazy once she is finished and she does her little curtsy and walks off the stage. She is so darn cute I can't contain the huge grin on my face. She bounces her way over to the table and hugs Chance's neck. He returns the hug and I can see him perk up a little more.

  "That was amazing. I knew you would nail it," he assures her.

  "I was a little nervous at first, but then I remembered what you told me and so I pictured my friends naked and the nerves went away," she explains.

  The whole table laughs at her confession. About a dozen more artists and bands play before the evening is over. They did so well that the thought catches my breath of so many talented kids coming to Mouth to hang out with their friends, never knowing that the man in the middle row could set them up for life. Trix Blackmon from Smash Records walks over and introduces himself. I knew this was the agent even though we had never met by the brand of clothing he wore. Trix has the wildest look for someone who is a professional agent, but I guess in his line of work, being different is perfect. His hair is jet black with electric blue highlights; he has two medium gauges in his ears that are the same color as his hair. He would fit right in with some of the crowd if it weren't for the fact that he is wearing 7 for all mankind jeans and they price right at $300.00. I don't see many kids wearing those types of jeans.

  "Hi, I'm Trix Blackmon from Smash. You have some awesome talent here," he tells me.

  "Yes, there are some wonderful kids in this bunch, too," I say.

  "I would like to get the contact list and lineup for tonight so I can take it back to Smash and show the footage to my boss," he informs me.

  I hand over a copy of the contact list and lineup and shake his hand goodbye. This is the first night I have had to meet with an agent since I took over, and my stomach was a jumbled mess of nerves. I hope someone gets lucky and gets chosen by Smash. They are one of the best labels in the industry.

  All the kids have gone home and we have finally got the bar cleaned and ready for closing. I send the employees home, and Chance and I walk back into my office while I put everything into the safe. I always make sure I am never alone when I leave, and Thursdays he always gets me home safely. After everything that happened with Michael, I am scared to be alone for a moment, and I hate him for making fear of being alone a part of who I am.

  * * *

  It has been a week since I told Chance my dirty secret. He hasn't called me any horrible names or made me feel anything less than perfect. I have decided to not wait for it to happen because Chance seems to truly love all of me. Saturday is Callie's 16th birthday and we are throwing her a sweet sixteen bash in the banquet hall. Chance has been with us every step of the way, making sure Callie has the best of everything. He is so kind and loving when it comes to my kids. Even if he didn't have a dime to his name, he would still hold my heart because his is so big. I can't believe my baby girl is turning sixteen in six days. What's a mom to do when her kid starts to drive? Yikes.

  Chance kisses me every morning before he goes to work. There is nothing like it. The feeling of being loved. I have another two hours before my day starts, so I take advantage of the bed and catch up on my reading. About three pages into the book, my best friend calls to ask what kind of coffee her new boss Dr. Chance Turner likes. I am so glad she took the position when the hospital offered it to her. She is the best person for the job, plus I can see them both at the same time. I tell her all the tips that Holly told me on my first day and she gushes over John for about three more minutes, then we get off the phone so we can both get to work. I love working for myself because I feel like I have so much freedom and time to just relax.

  Chapter 33

  Kaleb and Callie are getting ready for school and I can hear them arguing over the bathroom. I get out of bed and walk to them and let them know my bathroom is open for use. Callie runs and beats Kaleb to my bathroom and starts dancing the craziest moves I have ever seen. We all start laughing hysterically. It's mornings like these that make my whole life more perfect. Seeing my children have fun, and being able to be relaxed enough to see it, has been a true blessing. Every day I will thank Chance for giving me that and giving me a life full of joy and no more fear. I walk to the coffee pot and see that Chance left me a post-it that says, Morefinity. I love that man and I hope I make him just as happy as he makes me.

  I see the kids off to school and I get ready for the scariest day I have had in a while. I get into my car and drive down the beach side for an hour until I reach the house. It is a huge slate gray home with white trim; the landscape is beautiful with the beach view behind it. Luckily there isn't a gate so I pull right up to the house. I leave my purse in the car and take a deep breath in and let it out. I have to do this and I have to try my hardest to make it right. I walk up the pathway to the front door and ring the doorbell. A beautiful older woman with gray hair dressed in a perfectly pressed business suit opens the door.

  "Hello, how may I help you?" she asks.

  "Hi, I am looking for Mrs. Turner," I respond, my voice a little shaky.

  "I am Mrs. Turner. Please come in," she offers.

  I walk into the extravagant home and she closes the door behind me. I can feel my heart beating fast and I take a breath in before speaking, trying to calm my nerves.

  "Hi, Mrs. Turner. I am Laney Collins," I tell her.

  Her mouth opens slightly with a soft gasp. She doesn't speak. She just stares at me like I am not what she is expecting.

  "Mrs. Turner, I understand that you have heard some things about me that aren't ladylike, and I would like to explain," I inform.

  "Well, dear, I don't know how you can explain that," she utters.

  From everything that has happened, I thought of this woman as ten foot tall and scary as hell, but she seems more kind than frightening.

  "Okay, well, I would like to try for Chance, if you don't mind?" I ask.

  She holds her hand out to the living room. I walk in and have a seat in a chair next to the sofa that she sits on.

  "When I was in college, my dad lost his job for six months. My parents could not pay for me to go to school, so I would have had to drop out. A girl I knew told me about this great opportunity to earn money without doing anything sleazy. I agreed to try it and every day I went to work for six months and danced. That is all I did in that club that would have been seen as unladylike. The moment my dad found a job, I quit and never looked back. I am sorry you don't like me for my past, but it does not reflect who I am today. I have been through hell and back with an abusive ex-husband and I have finally found strength in myself to go after what I deserve. As a woman, I hope you can understand that we have to fight harder than most men in this world. I love your son more than I can tell you. He helped me and my children through the darkest of times and built us up to be stronger people. I hate that our relationship has hurt your family and I hope one day you will accept me and my children in your life." I explain myself and my situation the best I can.

  "Laney, when I heard the story from Cathy, it was not told me like that. She went into more detail than necessary, and I should have at least met you before I assumed the worst. We have tried so hard to keep those two together for appearances that I forgot my son has his own heart and we cannot make him love who we want. With that being
said, dear, I would like to start over. You seem to love my son very much to come here and talk to someone who judged you before meeting you. I am sorry for that. You seem to be much more ladylike than I gave you credit for. I hope you and your children will come to dinner one day next week so we can get to know your kids and more about you." She stands and wraps her arms around me after expressing her feelings.

  "Mrs. Turner, we would be honored to have dinner with you and Mr. Turner. Please let Chance know the best evening for you and we will be here." I walk toward the door.

  "It was lovely to meet you, Laney. I am so sorry again for all the drama," she utters.

  "And the same to you. See you next week," I say before walking out the door and back to my car.

  I am so relieved that this is over and I can see the 100% happiness in Chance's eyes again. I know he would be happy with me, but I also know that he would have a part of himself missing without his family, and I just couldn't let it be that way. I am so relieved that his mother didn't turn out to be the woman I have envisioned. I hope his dad is just as kind as Chance and his mother.

  My phone rings and I see it is Chance on the caller ID. "Hey, baby," I answer.

  "You are one amazing woman. You know that?" he murmurs.

  "No, I didn't, but I know how you can show me," I tease.

  "It will be my pleasure," he teases back.

  "See you tonight. Morefinity," I say.

  "Morefinity." He hangs up the phone.

  That was seriously the best thing ever. I love hearing his non-stressed voice on the other line. It will certainly make the rest of my day even better. I stop at the bank and make a deposit, then run over to the Java Joint and get a large cup of coffee. I have been dying for it since the first cup of coffee this morning at home. Coffee is always a positive bonus to any part of my day. I like to spread the love around town to help out the small business owners. We all stick together in this town to advertise for each other and always offer support. Before owning Mouth, I just stuck to the same places and never really thought about branching out and trying something new. I love the different people I get to meet now. We have all become our own little business family.

  School has been out for about thirty minutes and the kids will be here soon to do their homework and then help in the kitchen. They usually have a few friends come study for the first couple hours of the evening. Saturday is Callie's big 1...6...and I am not sure if I'm going to cry or party like a crazy person. Yeah, I will probably sob in the shower getting ready and then again when she gets picked up by the limo Chance has ordered for her. The front door opens and Kaleb comes in, gives me his Hi Mom, I'm with the guys nod and goes to the back booth. Callie is on the phone when she walks in and she holds up one finger, letting me know she will be a minute. I don't question it and go into the kitchen to see how the staff is getting along for the evening.

  I have them cook up appetizers for the kids and then go into my office to work on payroll. Five minutes pass and Callie comes bursting through the door. I swear my heart about leaps out of my chest.

  "Callie, honey, what's wrong?" I ask her.

  "Mom, I just got off the phone with Smash Records and they want me to come in for an interview with the CEO, Nic Nash, tomorrow afternoon." she squeals and jumps up and down, clapping her hands.

  "Oh my. That is so freaking exciting." I jump up and down with her.

  "I am going to tell everyone," she says before leaving the office.

  I pull her into a hug and tell her how happy I am for her. Who would have thought that my daughter would have such a great opportunity? First Kaleb won the surfing competition and now Callie gets this interview. I can't get over all the amazing things that have happened in our lives this year. Sure, we had some horrible things happen and I could have died, but it's like we are finally having some good luck thrown our way. Callie goes outside to tell her friends, and Kaleb and I send Chance a text. He is in a meeting so he won't answer right away. He is going to be so stoked, and he should be because he helped her get over her fear of the stage. I am so grateful for him in so many ways. He has changed all of our lives and I couldn't ask for a better and more caring person to spend my life with.

  Chance texts me back an hour later when his meeting is done. He is so damn cute when he texts me the emoji's with a thumbs up and a huge grinning smiley face. "That is awesome. Tell her I am so excited for her and so proud. What time is the meeting? I would love to go if I can make it."

  "It is at 4:00 tomorrow. I know she would love it if you were there," I murmur.

  "I will be there. It works out perfectly since my meeting ends at 3:00," he tells me.

  We hang up and I walk out to the table where all the kids are bursting at the seams with excitement for Callie. Some of the kids are asking her for her autograph now before she becomes a big star. It is so cute. I love reactions like that from other people.

  "Chance said he would like to come with us tomorrow and he is so proud of you," I tell her.

  "Yay. I know he will be able to help us make a decision on whatever they want to discuss," she explains.

  I walk back into my office and rearrange the schedule for tomorrow so I will be able to attend the interview as well. I am lucky that I have great employees who like to work here instead of trying to avoid it.

  The evening ends and I am so ready to go home and see Chance. I love Mouth and everything it brings to my life, but I am happy I close at 10 on Monday-Wednesdays and then closed on Sundays. I feel like Chance and I don't have enough time alone anymore. Our schedules are so different that we have to work harder to see each other. I miss the days where we could make out in his office between meetings. I don't however miss the gossip that the hospital staff would spit my way. Some women sure know how to make a person feel horrible. Some of the things they would say were worse than Michael would ever say to me.

  Chapter 34

  Pulling into parking garage, I notice a piece of paper on Chance's motorcycle. Once I park my car, I walk over to see what it is. The paper is pink with red roses down the side. I open the folded paper and read it.

  Chance, darling, I am so sorry for everything I have done. Please forgive me and answer my calls. I love you and miss you so much. Love Always, Cathy

  "Love always, yeah, bitch. NO! Love no more," I say out loud to myself.

  What nerve this woman has. If she doesn't quit being such a lunatic, I will go Chuck Norris on her ass. I can hear the bitch come out of me and it takes all I have not to hunt Cathy down and kick her ass.

  I fold the paper and take it with me upstairs to give to Chance. If I am lucky, he will completely ignore her crazy ass. I know in that sense he is better than me, but it sure would make me feel better if he did. I walk through the doors and notice a huge dozen red roses on the bar. Oh, Chance has done it again, but he has never gotten me red roses before. I reach for the card but Chance startles me.

  "I got those for Callie. Do you think it's too much?" he asks.

  "Oh no, she will love them. She should be home soon. Blake is bringing her home," I let him know.

  "I knew she was good. I'm just glad someone else heard it, too," Chance admits.

  "Me, too," I agree.

  "I have something for you, too," he murmurs.

  "Oh, do you now?" I smile.

  "It's long, hard and melts in your mouth," he teases.

  "I would never guess what that is." I wink.

  He walks over the drawer in the kitchen and pulls out a king-sized Hershey bar. I bust out laughing.

  "I was thinking..." I trail off, not wanting to say it out loud.

  "You dirty girl. I love your dirty mind." He laughs, wrapping his arms around me and pushing his lips to mine.

  We are in a passionate kiss when the kids walk into the kitchen.

  "Don't y'all have a room?" Kaleb asks.

  "Yeah, eww. Parents need to be behind doors for that." Callie makes an icky face.

  We can't help but laugh at the kids' exp
ressions. They should be used to it by now. Chance and I are very affectionate, to the point it would make me nauseated if it were someone else. I chuckle at the thought.

  "These flowers are for you, Callie." I point to them.

  "Really?" She gushes and reaches for the card.

  She has the biggest grin on her face and flashes Chance such a sweet smile, then walks over to him and hugs him tightly.

  "I love you, too," she says softly.

  My heart warms at the sound of their feelings for each other. Michael was a good father, but he never said those words. Now with everything that has happened, the kids have decided they don't want anything to do with him anymore. My heart aches for my children and having to live with knowing their dad has done horrible things that in some ways are unforgivable. He has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation and we have only spoken to his lawyer. I have no interest in seeing his face or hearing his voice again. I know someday the kids are going to want to confront him, and I will be there with them every step of the way, but until that day, I am moving on. Callie and Kaleb head off to bed and that leaves Chance and I some time to discuss the whack job ex.