by Hazel Gower
“I was wondering, though, how long you planned on being in Uni. You do know in February Richard will be thirty. Now, I know people are starting families later in life nowadays, and you are still young, but as I said, Richard is thirty, and if you wait too long, it just wouldn’t be fair for him to have too many little ones, and I know he wants at least five.” She smiled with a wishful look, and I wasn’t sure what to believe if she was talking about her wants or his. “It does take a lot of energy to keep up with children.” She patted my hand. “I’m so glad I had my children young. I could never imagine having them later in life.” She patted my arm. You do want children, don’t you?
I nodded. I did want children, I just didn’t think I would have any until I at least finished University and had worked a couple of years at the firm. “Yes,” I mumbled.
“I know you like them, I’ve seen the pictures. The statements we received have said you’re a favourite with the children.”
What did she mean she’d seen pictures and what Statements? This conversation was becoming stranger the more Gillian spoke. Now, I may not have had a mother since I was six, but I was sure this wasn’t what a boyfriend’s mother talked to you about. “What do you mean?”
Gillian let go of my hand and waved it in front of me. “You are seeing a Silverman. We are important people. We needed to find out about you so we would know if there were any problems. We’ve learnt from Stephan and Jade. Stephan may have had Jade looked into, but he should have dug further, and well, I don’t want to say but, well, maybe all this with the trial wouldn’t be happening.” Gillian sighed dramatically. “I’m not taking any chances with my sons.” Her gaze narrowed on mine. “I know Richard had you checked out, but I needed to know for myself.”
Holy crap, Gillian was scary. I knew my eyes were probably the size of saucers. I inched away from Gillian. How dare they have me looked into. I know what happened with Jade and the Silvermans being so well known made them careful, but I wasn’t the one who chased or even started this relationship with Richard. He was the one who started everything.
“Now, I know you haven’t had a mother in your life since moving in with Ethan. I don’t ever want to replace your own, but I’d like you to think of me as your mother now that you’re with my son. Today, I thought we could do some bonding.”
I had kept quiet and had been respectful all day while we were shopping for everything, starting with underwear, clothes, makeup to shoes. Now I loved shopping as much as the next girl did, but there was only so much I could take. By lunchtime, I had an extreme migraine from having to focus my eyes and keep my mouth shut.
Unable to focus anymore, we left a shoe store, and I bumped into something hard and fell to the ground. Brushing my hands off as I slowly stood, my knees hurt, and I was sure, when I had fallen, I’d hit something and cut it. Gillian came to me fussing, but I couldn’t hear her. I was focusing so hard on not being physically sick. I needed my medication. I needed somewhere to sit and to close my eyes and gather myself.
Ignoring Gillian, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath in, and slowly let it out, opening my eyes and using the little strength I had left to search for a bathroom or somewhere I could rest. Spotting the flashing exit sign with bathroom written below, I ran towards it not caring that I bumped into people or fell a couple more times before I reached my destination.
So that’s how I came to be where I am now in the bathroom of the mall not only hiding from Gillian but with my head over the bowl as I vomited from the pain throbbing through my head. I couldn’t focus my nystagmus and knew if I stood, I’d be too dizzy.
*****
Richard
I was ecstatic I’d received an all clear from my test, not that I thought I would have anything. I had spent my day working and getting everything ready for Bailey’s brother to arrive.
Bailey was having a day with my mother, and I should have warned Bailey, but I wanted her to get to know my family. I needed Bailey to spend time with my family. My mother was so excited to finally have a girl. I didn’t think it would hurt for Baily to spend time with Mother. Hours later, though, I didn’t feel the same.
I shouldn’t have left Bailey with my mother. I was on my way back to the house with Ethan when I received a frantic, hysterical phone call from my mother. I shouldn’t have put it on speaker, but it was my mother, and I knew she was with Bailey so I thought it might be good for Ethan to hear about what they were doing.
“I can’t find her. She fell and there was blood and I tried to help her back up. She, she just ran.” I couldn’t remember the last time I’d heard my mother this ruffled, she was always cool and composed. “Rafe, chased after Bailey and…” I hung up. I knew it was rude, but as soon as my mother said Bailey had run and was hurt, I didn’t want to talk to her. I needed to talk to Rafe, who was now her lead personal security guard.
“What the fuck, Richard.” Ethan fumed next to me in the car.
Not even bothering to answer or calm Ethan’s fears, I rang Rafe.
“I have her.” Rafe didn’t even bother with hellos.
“What the fuck happened?” I yelled at Rafe. I was furious that Bailey was hurt and angry with my mother for letting this happen. “Cole, pull over until I know where we’re going.” I was going to Bailey.
“Your mother and Bailey have been shopping all day. They only stopped for half an hour for a salad lunch and a bottle of water. I should have intervened. I did notice the last couple of hours Bailey had barely missed knocking into things and looked a little white.” Rafe groaned. “I thought it was because she’d spent her day with Gillian. Your mother is exhausting,” Rafe muttered.
“Where the hell is Bailey now? Where are you?” I understood what Rafe was saying. I loved my mother, but she was a handful.
“Brisbane Main Street Mall. Bailey is in the bathroom.”
“Cole, head back into the city. We are going to the Brisbane Main Street Mall.” We weren’t too far, about fifteen minutes with Cole driving. Going back to Rafe,” I ordered. “Get Bailey out of there and meet m—”
“Bailey’s not doing well. I’ve called an ambulance.”
“What? Why the fuck didn’t you tell me this first. God damn it! How long did the ambulance say it would take them to get to her?”
“They’ll be here in about ten. It may take them longer with their equipment. I was going to call you. I just got off the phone with them when you called. I need to call Andy, who’s managing the door so he can tell the others to be ready for them.”
“I’ll be there about the same time. Where are you?” Rafe explained where he was and I repeated it aloud making sure Cole and Brenton, who sat next to Cole, knew what was going on.
When I disconnected, Ethan went crazy yelling at me. I ignored him as he screamed about taking his sister away from me and made threats that I’d never allow to happen.
Calling my mother back, I told her I was on my way and for her stay out of everyone’s way. I then phoned the hospital making sure I was put through to the senior doctor. “Hello, Dr. Writher. My name is Richard Silverman. I am calling about a patient that will be admitted. Her name is Bailey Rodgers. She has Horizontal Perpendicular Nystagmus. She is on medication for migraines.” I rattled off what Bailey took for her migraines. “She has fallen and is hurt. She is currently vomiting, and I don’t know the extent of her injuries. I’m calling to make sure you’re prepared.” Ethan quieted beside me and relayed medical history on Bailey.
By the time I’d finished on my phone, we’d arrived. Cole made great time. I’d spoken to the doctor making sure the hospital would be ready, and I spoke to mall security.
The car had barely stopped before I was out of the car and running to where Bailey was. I knew Brenton was close. Cole didn’t stop long as he was taking Ethan back to the house. Ethan had protested wanting to check on Bailey too, but with him being injured, it hadn’t taken me long to convince him to stay with Cole so my security team would have one less person to protect an
d one less person to worry about.
I arrived in time to hear Bailey argue with the ambulance paramedic. “I don’t want to go to the hospital. I’ll be fine once I can get home and take my medication.”
Barging past Andy into the bathroom, I see Rafe standing by a door and a paramedic knelt by a sickly looking Bailey. Blood was on the floor and I could see her knees were covered in dried blood. Her hands had some on them, too. She needed a doctor. My heart felt like it was going a million miles an hour. I’d never been so scared in my life. The state she was in terrified me. “Little Raven, you’re not being difficult, are you?”
Bailey groaned. “Grrr, Richard, what are you doing here?” I could see her head swaying, her eyes scanning like crazy.
As much as I wanted to get to her, I knew the paramedic needed to see her. “I’m here to make sure you cooperate.”
“Go away. I’m not going to the hospital.” She moaned.
“Yes, you are. Bailey, you’re covered in blood and as white as a ghost.”
“Fine, but I’m not staying overnight at the hospital.”
Now wasn’t the time to argue with her. So I kept quiet and watched as the woman I was falling in love with was helped by the paramedic onto a gurney.
*****
Bailey
I should be embarrassed that not only was Richard here seeing me like this, but I had been paraded through Brisbane mall on a Gurney.
We spent the rest of the afternoon and well into the night at the hospital. I’d been cleaned up, given fluids and medicated. I didn’t want to stay in the hospital any longer than I had to. Richard hadn’t left my side the whole time, even when the pain medication knocked me out for a couple of hours.
I now lie in our bed—well, the bed I’d been staying in since I arrived at the home of Richard’s parents—against Richard, who sat on top of the covers stroking my hair in a soothing motion. I had just taken extra pain medication and was waiting for it to kick in so I could sleep.
“You going to tell me why you didn’t say anything and let it get so bad?” Richard’s voice was soft, but I could hear the steel edge behind it.
“I’ve been concentrating so much lately, and being in a mall where I have to watch and be careful of so many things was too much.” I didn’t want to tell him about his mother, but something had to be said. A lot of what Gillian had said had me thinking a lot about my relationship with Richard. We had a lot of things to discuss, including whether I could be with Richard if this is what life would be like. “Actually, I was also distracted by some things your mother said. I can handle her criticism about my clothing and so on, but I couldn’t stop thinking about some of the things she told me.”
Richard body vibrated against her as he growled. “Like what?”
“Did you have me looked into?”
“Yes.” I didn’t know if I liked how he didn’t hesitate in his answer or not. I had nothing to hide, my life was pretty boring and sheltered, but it made me uncomfortable that he’d looked into my background and had information on me when I’d barely known him.
“You’re mother thinks I’ll be moving in with you. That you bought the house on the Gold Coast for us. Is that true?”
“Yes.” Again he said it without hesitating, alarms went off in my head, and my stomach tumbled.
“You do know how crazy that all is? Firstly, you could have asked me anything you wanted to know. Secondly, we haven’t been together that long. It’s way too early to move in with each other.”
“I knew from the moment I saw you that you were mine and that we would be together.”
“We may be together now, but what about the future. We may fight and break up. Goodness, anything could happen.”
“We won’t break up. You’re the one. My soulmate. The perfect woman for me. I’d marry you tomorrow if I could convince you to say yes.”
Richard sounded so sure, but I wasn’t. I really liked Richard, but I wasn’t sure if I was his forever, and I’d learned at a young age that nothing was ever a guarantee. “We barely know each other. Why would you even think about marriage?”
“We do know each other,” he snarled. Richard let go of my hair and eased off the bed. “I don’t know what more you want me to do to get to know you? I have been patient and tried not to be so possessive and dominant so I don’t scare you away. I was tested to show you that I’m clean, and I got that back today with a clean bill of health. I have courted you and given you time to get to know me. Now I’m thinking I should have done what I’ve wanted from the goddamn start, throw you over my shoulder, and take you to some exotic island to get married and stake my claim.” His expression clouded in anger. “You know what? I give the fuck up.” He threw his hands up in the air, turned from me, and stormed away.
I laid in bed confused, and angry at his reaction to my questions. How dare he just up and leave when we were talking. The more I lay there, the more furious I became that he’d just left. This was not being bloody well patient. Richard may think he’d been courting me, but that had only been for a couple of weeks while they’d been on the Gold Coast. How quickly did he expect their relationship to move? I’d already given myself to him sexually and I hadn’t done that for any other boy or man. My migraine banged at my temples. I prayed that the painkillers would kick in soon.
Settling down further into the bed, I groaned when I couldn’t get comfortable. It was all Richard’s fault. Argh, I was so annoyed I hadn’t finished talking to him. I had so many questions I wanted to ask him. With him storming out like he just did, I didn’t know if I’d have a chance, because when I saw him again I would tell him just what I thought about his patience and courting, it needed work. Men. They were so confusing.
Chapter Twelve
Richard
I was a douche. I knew I was going to spend my day apologizing and kissing arse. I’d left Bailey last night in our bed in anger, not at Bailey, more at all that had gone on and was going on around us. I was frustrated at all the dangers surrounding us, the problems with my clubs, and the slow pace of our relationship. If I were honest with myself, I’d admit to a bit of a resentment at Bailey not falling at my feet like every other woman and making this whole soul mate thing easy. To top off last night’s tirade, I’d gone to my mother, furious with the events of the day and had done something I’d never done. I’d yelled at my mother, shouting at her things I shouldn’t have. My mother told me what she said to Bailey and apologized repeatedly, but I was so frustrated with everything and how things weren’t going the way that I wanted them to. I blew a fuse and took it all out on her. I wasn’t used to not getting my way. My father and uncles ended up intervening and pulling me away from my mother. They had berated me and made me feel like a two-year-old chucking a tantrum, and now that I think back, I was acting like one.
Bailey moved against my chest and I could tell she was awake. Even with my tirade and walking out on her, I wasn’t willing to give up sleeping with her. I loved holding her and snuggling her for warmth. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
She moaned and her hands pushed against my chest. “I’m so angry with you, Richard. What the hell are you doing in the bed with me? I don’t want you here right now. I’m so mad at how you left things last night.” She whacked my chest and wiggled in my hold. I wasn’t letting her go so she could leave. I clutched her tighter to me.
“I know you’re angry and you have every right to be. I’m sorry for walking out on you last night. I should have stayed.”
“You’re damn well right you should have stayed.” She sighed and eased herself up so she could look at me. “You can’t leave when things aren’t going how you like. Richard, we need to talk.” Her fingers drew patterns across my chest. “I found things out yesterday that I didn’t know about. You didn’t tell me any of what your mother did. I had no idea you expected me to move in with you as soon as we leave here.”
“Why wouldn’t we live together? We’re staying in the same room and living together now.”
“You know perfectly well this is all a different situation than just packing up my stuff from my house with my brother and moving in with you. How we are living now started with being threatened and coming here to be safe. I wasn’t given a choice when we arrived to have a room to myself.” She gazed up at me and nibbled on her lip. “Christmas is only two weeks away. It’s a crazy time to be thinking of moving.”
Squeezing her against me, I moved her up so we were face to face. “I want to wake up with you every morning. Don’t you want to sleep cuddled up to me?” Raising my eyebrow and grinning making sure my dimple popped.
“Argh, that’s not fair.” Bailey trailed her fingers over my lips and then poked my dimple. “Fine.” I felt my grin grow wider and Bailey narrowed her gaze. “I won’t move in yet, but I will pack some things and have them at your place. I’ll stay there every night, but I’m not moving out of Ethan’s and my house yet.”
I could live with that. “So after Christmas you’ll move in?” I winked at her and she groaned.
“No. After Christmas, we have New Years and then on the eleventh of January, I’m going away for two weeks to Vision Australia Camp. I’ll be helping with the children this year as a group leader.”
What! I don’t remember any information saying she was going to this camp in January. Bailey’s gaze was bright with her excitement and she practically bounced against me as she talked about it. Two weeks without her. Crap, I struggled to go a day. I knew as I watched her continue talking about the camp that I couldn’t ask her not to go. I’d have to deal with her being away. Surely, by then my caveman instinct will have settled down.
“It’s always nice to have people around that have been through what you’re going through. I love being at the camp and helping the children. I’m really looking forward to this year as this will be the first year I’m a group leader.”