by Rose Harper
He kneeled in front of me, taking my hands in his. “I may not be your father, but I see you as a daughter. Have for a very long time. I would be honored to share this dance with you.”
I choked up, not being able to say a word. The only thing I could do is nod. He took my hand with his and led me out to the dance floor, spinning me before tucking me into his arms. I cackled with laughter, holding onto him. We danced for a few minutes in silence, just soaking in the soft melody of the music.
Then I had diarrhea of the mouth. “Who invited Cherish?”
He grimaced. “I never took her off my contact list. It’s my fault she’s here. Please don’t be mad. Your mother has told me your intent dislike for the woman: in all honesty, I don’t blame you at all. But I do appreciate you being the bigger person.”
A tired sigh left my lips. “Trust me, you have no idea how hard it’s been for me. That witch taunted me all through school. I understand why Brad married her, but staying with her, I don’t get.”
“Yeah, there’s a lot you don’t know, Claire. I just received some news before the wedding, but I feel Brad should be the one to tell you.” His face spoke volumes. He was not pleased in the least little bit.
“What news?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.
“Brad should be the one to tell you. Whenever we’re done here, go find him. If he doesn’t tell you, tell me. I will make him tell you,” he said, giving me a light kiss on the cheek.
Just as the song ended, I leaned up whispering in his ear. “I couldn’t have asked for a better father. You are not a stepfather to me; you are my dad.” Then I kissed his cheek and leaned back to see a lone tear escape his eye.
He cleared his throat, seemingly to get his emotions under control. “Thank you, sweetie, and you are my little girl.”
My mother came to cut in, giving me a hug. I kissed her check and then walked back to Alex at the table. A ball of emotions I was. I finally had a dad. Even though I saw him as a father figure my whole life, he was now my dad, by law. I couldn’t be happier, but at the same time a little scared. I didn’t know how he would take mine and Brad’s news. I hope they took it great. I don’t think I could take it if it were any other way.
Alex saw the look on my face as I got closer to the table. She stood, motioning for me to follow her, and I did. We walked out into the hallway of the hotel, finding a quiet, dark corner so no one would be able to overhear us. She was about to say something when a shadow out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I glanced, thinking that it could be nothing, but the sight I saw enraged me.
“Is that Cherish and Brad?” I whispered, glancing back at Alex.
She turned, looking to see what I was talking about. “Where?”
I pulled her into the corner a little more and pointed in their direction. “There.”
She followed where I was pointing, her eyes getting as big as saucers. She nodded her head and turned back to look at me. “Sure does look like it.”
Dammit to hell. What the fuck was he playing at?
I stood there in the shadows of the corner watching them interact with each other. Her eyes I saw were a bit tearstained, and his face was nothing but a blank mask. To anyone else, it would look like they were a couple having an argument. But I knew something was up. He would not deliberately do something like this to me. Especially at our parents’ wedding where we were supposed to tell them about us.
I couldn’t look away from the spectacle in front of me. It was like a bad car wreck, and I was the rubbernecker. She would say something to him, then he would argue about it. I have no idea why he put himself through this time and time again. He was divorced from her now; he didn’t have to put up with this. He was his own person.
“What do you think they’re talking about?” I whispered to Alex.
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, but it doesn’t look too good.”
When Cherish touched his arm, a saddened look on her face, I about lost it. My vision began clouding with a red haze. That fucking whore! My anger was coming to a boiling point fast. The only thing I wanted to do was punch her in the throat. The only thing stopping me was what Henry had said to me. He was one of the most important people in my life, and I was not about to ruin his special day by brawling in the hotel hallway.
But damn I wanted to.
I watched Brad take Cherish into a hug, rubbing slow circles on her back for comfort. My mouth hung open in shock. Maybe I was seeing it wrong. Maybe he was just offering her his comfort. I sure hoped to God that was the only thing he was offering her. I closed my eyes when the sight became too much.
Alex took me in her arms just as I saw Brad do for Cherish, and I wept. My heart absolutely broke from seeing him take another woman into his arms. I was supposed to be the only woman he ever did that with; at least, now I was supposed to be. With my sobs wreaking havoc on my body, I glanced over at Brad and Cherish.
My heart broke a little more. He brought his hands up to Cherish’s face and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. I openly sobbed into Alex’s shoulder. It seems I was the one he fooled. That he planned to get back together with Cherish this whole time. It was more than likely the reason he didn’t answer his phone last night. He’d been with her.
“Honey, you can’t keep going through this. You need to find out what’s going on. Maybe it isn’t what it looks like,” Alex explained, continuing to rub circles on my back.
I shook my head. “I don’t need him to explain. I should have never fallen for his games. Can we go to the bathroom so I can freshen up? Then we can go back to the reception and try to get me through this in one piece.”
She took my shoulders in her hand, making our way to the bathroom. We stepped inside and the women that were currently occupying left without being told to. I knew my face was probably wrecked from crying, but I couldn’t help it. I just saw the love of my life, kissing another woman. That would wreck anyone’s day—no matter who they were.
“We can leave for New York sooner. You know, if that’s what you want to do,” Alex whispered, probably feeling anything louder would break me again.
She wouldn’t be far off to think that. I was barely holding onto what little control I had. Anything at this point in time would set me off. I cannot be labeled as the girl that cried at the reception. The wedding, possibly. But not the reception. Everyone would think that I was crying because my mother got married, when in fact it was the opposite. I was happy for her. The thing that had me crying was that bastard son of Henry.
“I think I like the sound of that,” I said, my throat beginning to get tight from the pain I was enduring.
We were coming out of the bathroom when I noticed Brad leaning against the wall next to the door. Alex gave me a worried look, but I waved her away. Telling her that this needed to be done and then we would get the hell out of Dodge. Turning to face him, I crossed my arms. The action somewhat of a guard against him. I was sure he took in my defensive stance, due to the way his eyebrow arched in curiosity.
“I need to tell you something before we tell our parents about us.” he said, running his fingers through his hair. That was what he always did when something was frustrating him or he was lying.
A frustrated sigh left me. “No, I’m not ready to tell them, because there is nothing we need to confess.”
A look of confusion flashed in his eyes as he pushed away from the wall, coming to stand in front of me. “There isn’t? I was pretty sure there was.”
“I’m pretty sure us ended the moment you kissed Cherish,” I scoffed, taking off in the opposite direction.
He grabbed my elbow halting my escape. “Claire, whatever you saw I assure you that you took it out of context. Cherish just told me something, and I acted on instinct. It was an honest kiss that I assure you was a complete mistake when I caught myself … Wait, how did you know that?” He looked down at me, curiosity lighting his eyes.
I jerked my arm from his hold, narrowing my eyes. “U
nless you call being in the middle of the hall private, I doubt many people missed your lovers’ embrace. Plus, I was in said hallway when you put both hands on her face,” I took his face between my hands, “like this and leaned in for a kiss. No one would see that kiss as being a mistake or unplanned.”
Dropping my hands, I turned around and walked back into the reception area. I needed to think of a good excuse to leave before the reception was over. My mother was sure to ask me why I was running off so soon. Since my office wasn’t open on a Sunday, I needed to come up with one hell of an excuse. My job would only be one of two reasons my mother would allow me to go without explaining myself.
Chapter Ten
Entering the room, I peered through the crowd until I saw Alex. Making my way over to her, I pulled her to the side. Alex would be able to tell me how to get out of this without being caught or give me some advice. I made sure that my mother and Henry were nowhere around before I started explaining it to her.
I took a calming breathing before I began. “He said that it was a mistake. That she told him something that just caught him off guard or some shit and he reacted on instinct. But that it had been a mistake. He still wants to tell mother and Henry about it.”
“What do you want to do?” she asked, searching in my eyes. When she found what she was looking for, she simply nodded.
“I want to leave and go back to New York, right now,” I answered honestly.
“Then you will get just that.”
Before walking away to get the car, she told me that I needed to tell my mother that something was wrong with Brett. That someone in his family died and he really needed me. She said that I had to act worried so she would believe it and not ask me any questions. I felt like shit for lying to my mom for the umpteenth time. But there was no way I was going to tell her the truth.
I was actually a little grateful that Brad did what he did. That showed me that I didn’t need to completely turn my life upside down because we would never have made it in the first place. I knew that thought should have triggered some sort of emotion, but it didn’t. Just hours earlier the thought of never being with Brad ripped my heart in two. Maybe there were only so many times someone can break you before you can’t be put back together again.
I saw my mom off in the distance laughing at something someone said. I really hated the idea of returning to New York when my mother and I had finally bonded so well. Of the times she’d visited me over the last decade, I could tell that something was just holding her back. I didn’t know what that something was until I came back here. I realized the first day the reason she kept herself guarded was because I hadn’t been home in all these years. I couldn’t tell her that I was not going to be returning. I just couldn’t. So I opted to lie to my mother yet again.
Walking through the crowd, I mustered as much panic as I could. When she turned to greet me, her pause told me that she read something was very wrong.
“Claire, what is it?” she asked, clenching my hands with her.
“I have to return home,” I replied, panic evident in my tone.
She pressed her hand to her chest, frowning. “Oh … why? Is something wrong?”
I nodded my head. Yeah, but it’s not what you think. “Brett needs me. Someone in his family passed away.” At this Henry walked up settling a hand on my mom’s waist. “He isn’t taking it so good and he needs me there with him.”
Henry kissed my mother’s head as she began tearing up. “Okay, honey. I completely understand. But please call me every hour until you get home. I want to make sure that you’re safe.”
I stepped up to hug my mother and Henry backed away. I looked at him, tears filling my eyes. He simply nodded and began looking around for something. “Mom, I promise I will call you every hour on the hour until I get home. I’m sorry I gotta leave in such a hurry, but he needs me. I want to wish you and Henry the best honeymoon ever.”
When she finally let me go, I stepped back to see tears running down her cheeks. “Honey, I believe you. Just make sure you say good-bye to Brad before you go. He’ll hate it that he missed you. It’s been amazing to see you two come together and enjoy each other’s company. You all are perfect stepsiblings.”
I kissed her cheek before setting off to find Brad. Even if I hated it, I was going to honor my mother’s wish. If she wanted me to say good-bye to Brad, then that’s what I was going to do. After all, this was going to be the last time that I laid eyes on him, at least for a while. I was searching through the crowd when I saw him standing next to Cherish. Grunting my disapproval, I made my way toward them.
They were looking out the window, deep in conversation. What had me stopping was the word ‘baby.’ Did I just hear that right? Did she really just say something about a baby? They’d been divorced for years.
When my shock wore off, I continued to them. I heard her talking to him in a low voice about what they were going to do. From the slouch of Brad’s shoulders, I could tell that he was devastated by her news. However, I didn’t hear what he said to her before interrupting. What I wanted to know was when they were last together. I knew it was none of my business, but damn, you don’t divorce your wife to sleep with her some more. You divorce to get the hell away from the crazy, not go running back in full throttle.
“Brad,” I greeted, my words laced with anger.
He turned around, his eyes widening when he saw how close I was. “Claire. Umm, what’s up?”
My eyes scolded him, as I turned to look at Cherish. Her smirk told me all I needed to know. She’d known that he and I were seeing each other. Of course, that still didn’t stop her from squeezing her way into the middle of Brad and me. The baby probably wasn’t even his baby. He was a damn fool for believing this witch again for the second time. However, I didn’t give a flying fuck what he did now. I was going home.
“Just thought I would stop by and ask for a brother-sister dance.” My smile was so fake I was surprised my face didn’t crack.
“Sure,” he hesitantly gave Cherish a kiss, as if his upbringing chose that time to kick in, which only fueled my anger.
As we got to the dance floor, he twirled me before placing me safe within his arms. I hated the reaction that my body had to his, but damn I couldn’t help it. It was like the little bitch was on a slut high, and Brad was her fix.
“I can …” he began, but I cut him off.
“I’m going home,” I stated dryly.
He was taken back by my statement. “You’re going home?”
“Yes. There is no reason for me to be here anymore. I wouldn’t have told you, but Mom insisted.”
His eyes drooped just a bit, saddened. “You can’t leave, Claire. I promise I can explain the whole thing.”
My eyes shot daggers into his. “Then explain,” I bit out, somehow managing to keep the smile on my face.
He sighed. “I got drunk a few months ago. Fall down on my face drunk. I was still mourning over the loss of our child. Cherish found me at the bar and took me home. The rest is history.”
“The rest is not history, Brad, because she’s fucking pregnant with your child. That little bitch knew what was going on between us. I could tell by the cocky smirk on her crap lousy face. How far along is she? Hmm?”
“Four months,” he stated in a pained whisper.
I snorted. “So, she waited four months to tell you that she was pregnant when she’s been planning your reunion the entire time. Seriously? Who the hell does that? If it were yours, don’t you think she would have told you before now?” I seethed, looking into his eyes.
He shrugged. “She said she didn’t know how to tell me. Figured that I would try to say she was trapping me.”
“Well, duh, stupid ass. That is exactly what she is trying to do, and you’re playing right into her trap.”
That got a reaction out of him. “You don’t know anything, Claire. She has changed since high school. She isn’t the same tormentor as she used to be. It would be best if you fucking sta
yed out of it.” His eyes blazed into mine as the song ended.
I stopped swaying back and forth. “Not a fucking problem. If you want to be stupid and blindly go into something with her, then by all means, make a fucking fool of yourself. But don’t think for a second I’m waiting for you. Hell no. I’ve got my own life to live, and you have your own life to fuck up.”
His eyes searched mine. “I have to try to make things work with her, don’t you see that?”
“Well then, by all means, don’t let me keep you. You could have had a family with me; instead you’re believing her lies. I can see right through her, Brad. That baby is not yours,” I seethed, stepping out of his embrace when Cherish looped her arm through his.
Fucking trashy bitch.
I took a deep breath, pinning Cherish with a glare that could kill. Her triumphant smirk, however, was still in place. “As far as you being pregnant, you little whore …Your face isn’t.” With that, I slapped the ever-loving shit out of her, the sound echoing through the now silent room. I laughed when she grabbed her face in pure shock, her eyes beginning to tear.
I peered up toward Brad, my eyes sending him every ounce of my hatred. He looked like he was getting ready to go to a funeral, his face completely emotionless. His eyes showed me everything that I needed to know; he knew he just fucked everything up and there was no way to fix it. I turned away and walked toward the door. Chancing a glance at my mother, her smile beamed with pride. Henry stood next to her, dying with laughter.
I winked at her, a carefree smile on my face, even though carefree was the last thing I was feeling at this moment. I pulled open the reception door and walked away.
Away from Brad … Away from the heartbreak … Away from everything that could have been…
Chapter Eleven
One Month Later…
“You have to get out of this apartment,” Alex said, slapping me on the ass.
“Nope,” I replied, no emotions in my voice.