by Mia Carson
Ben fiddled with the fabric in his hands, and Belle noticed the initials stitched into it. J and H. Her dad’s. “We were gone a lot, your dad and I, always to dangerous parts of the world. Half the time, we didn’t have communication with our own commanders, let alone family. After you were born,” he said, nodding to Belle, “we were sent to Asia for a job.”
“What was it?” Brent asked, leaning closer.
“Can’t tell you, top secret,” Ben said. “We were cut off completely for months. It wasn’t until we got back to base nearly a year later that James was given the news by Penelope herself.”
Belle’s hand went to her mouth, her heart breaking for her dad. “How?”
“She’d written him a letter. She’d been diagnosed with lung cancer, stage four. She knew she wouldn’t see him again,” Ben said quietly, pausing to wipe his eyes. “She would die before he returned home, and she had to tell him one last time how much she loved him. Sent pictures of you two to keep him going. He tried to leave, but we were grounded for another month.”
Brent hung his head and sniffed hard. Greyson grabbed the tissues from the nightstand and handed them over. “What about Belle and Brent?”
“She said she was taking them to her parents since James’s were long dead. He’d assumed that’s where you two would be, but your dad… There was a time when he was a POW during our mission,” Ben said, his eyes filled with anger. “They tried to break him. He was never the same after that. Suffered from PTSD and night terrors. He was sent home, and once he got here, he was discharged for medical reasons. Said they couldn’t have someone so unstable out in the field.”
“And when he got here, Mom was dead,” Belle murmured softly.
Ben didn’t meet her eyes as he nodded. “He wrote me, said he found Penelope’s gravesite. He drank a whole bottle of whiskey that night and slept by her tombstone. My friend—my brother—needed me, and I couldn’t be there for him.”
The silence in the room was heavy. Belle was almost afraid to breathe too loudly. She pictured the smiling face of the young man from the yearbook—her dad—drunk and crying for his lost love alone in the graveyard. “Did he… did he even look for us?”
“He went to the Tinson’s place, but they turned him away, said they didn’t take their grandchildren in, not from a daughter who shoved them out of her life. He went to social services, but they told him… They told him with his record he wouldn’t be a fit parent. Said it would be too hard on him and too traumatic for you both to take you away from your foster families.”
All of the anger that had built up over the past week in Belle, knowing their dad was alive, faded away little by little, replaced by pain and longing. “He needed us,” she whispered. “We could’ve helped him.”
“Yeah, you could’ve, but the system said no. Slapped him right in the face, but he found you both,” Ben said as he pulled out his wallet from his back pocket. “Sent me these not too long after.”
He handed the pictures to Brent, who shifted closer to Belle so she could see them. “Is this… these are of us, aren’t they?” he asked. “We were so little.”
“He tracked you both down within days, snapped those photos, but didn’t go to the families who had you,” Ben said. “It broke him to see you there, looking so like your mother, but he wasn’t a stable man. He still isn’t, really, even after all these years.”
Belle ran her fingers over the picture of her younger self—two, maybe—playing in the front yard on a swing set. “I remember this family,” she whispered. “They were one of the nicest I lived with.”
“James said you both looked happy and he couldn’t pull you away. He worried you wouldn’t even remember him,” Ben said sadly. “When I got out of the military, I found him holed up in a cabin in the mountains. Right mess he was—a drunk, hardly eating, hardly doing anything except keeping tabs on the two of you.”
“Wait,” Brent said, looking up from the picture, “he watched us grow up? This whole damn time?”
Ben scratched his chin. “Yeah, he did. He always knew where you were, what you were up to, although I haven’t spoken to him for a few months so I’m not sure if he knows about this,” he added with a grin, nodding at Belle. “He’d be mighty proud, though.” He dug out his cell from his pocket, tapped the screen a few times, and handed it over to Belle. “You should give him a call.”
“Just like that?” Belle asked, hands trembling as they held the phone. “What do I say?”
“Whatever you want,” Ben said. “He needs to hear from his kids. He’s a stubborn old ass and thinks you two would be better off without him.”
Belle shared a glance with Brent, and he urged her on with a nod.
“Mind you, he’s a damn drifter… He probably won’t answer, but what have you got to lose?”
So many years of searching, of wondering if she was wanted by her family, rushed before her eyes. She had her brother back, knew their mom had loved them, and finally, they would find their dad. She hit the send button and put it on speaker for Brent to hear too. It rang four times on the other end before going to a generic voicemail. After the beep, she fumbled for a second before the words came.
“Dad? It’s… it’s Belle and Brent,” she started. “We’re here with Ben, calling you to see where you are and to let you know… we would really love to see you again. Please, just… just call us back or come visit. Brent’s here for a few more days. We… uh, we love you,” she added, and Brent smiled. She rattled off her number and Greyson’s home address so he could find them, then hung up and slowly handed Ben his phone.
He tucked it away. “Maybe that’ll get him out of his cabin.”
“Thank you, Ben,” Belle said and took his hand again. “Really, you have no idea what this means to us.”
He held her hand tightly and took Brent’s as well. “Your dad was a brother to me, and your mom a sister. She named me your godfather in the letter she sent your dad, and I’m sorry… I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you either.” Tears welled in his eyes, and Belle climbed out of bed so she could hug him and Brent. They held each other close as they cried for what they’d lost and what they’d gained again after so many years apart.
Belle glanced over her shoulder. Greyson wiped furiously at his eyes, and she held out her hand for his, dragging him into the fold of her newly found family.
“We couldn’t have done this without you,” she told him.
Brent patted Greyson hard on the back. “She’s right, you know. You did this, man, and I can’t ever repay you.”
“You never have to,” he assured them.
Chapter 42
The day for the game launch finally arrived, and Greyson paced around his office, struggling to fix his tie. He growled when his finger got stuck again, and Belle’s laughter reached his ears.
“Come here and let me fix that,” she said.
He went to her and bent down so she could reach the tie. “You sure you’re up for this? I can have Kelly take you home.”
“No, I’m feeling perfect,” she said, tying his tie swiftly, and patted his cheeks. “Besides, I really want to see you stick it to Tom for being a sneaky bastard.”
He smiled at the fire in her eyes. “Me too.”
Tim knocked on the door, dressed up too. “You ready, boss man?”
“Yeah, just give me a minute.” Tim tapped his watch and walked away, meeting with Davis and Billy at the elevator. Greyson turned back to Belle and smoothed her hair back from her face. “Have you heard from your dad yet?”
She shook her head. “No, but Ben and Brent are here for you.”
“There’s still a month until the wedding,” he assured her. “I’m sure he’ll call before then.” He kissed her sweetly. His lips lingered on hers before he pulled away, wishing they were not headed out to stand in front of fifty-plus people to announce the game launch.
“Enough of my problems,” she said and wrapped her hand through his arm. “Shall we?”
He pa
tted her hand and led her to the elevator. He was excited for the game launch. They had fixed the bugs at the last second, and the last run-through of the game worked perfectly. Greyson’s hope was it would be even more successful than his first MMO, and this time, he’d have someone to share the celebrations with.
When they’d reached the lobby where the reporters had gathered along with avid fans able to get in the doors, Greyson waved his hand to the cheering crowd, smiling at them all calling his name. He reached the small stage they’d set up and shook hands with Tom Bigsby. The man pulled him in close for a one-armed hug.
“We did it,” Tom told Greyson. “I’m glad to have been your partner in all of this.”
Greyson grinned. “Of course… partners,” he replied then leaned back. Tom let go of his hand, and Greyson stepped up to the podium. “Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for coming out to the newest game launch for Greystone Games!”
Cheers erupted again, and cameras flashed. The second he made the announcement, the game would be released and thousands of people would be logging in to play, but Greyson had so much more exciting news to deliver first. He held up his hands, and the crowd quieted down.
“Before we release our latest game,” he said, “I have someone I have to thank for making this all possible. Our partner, Bigsby Inc. and their CEO, Tom Bigsby.” Greyson clapped along with everyone else as Tom waved and smiled brightly at the crowd. “Now, Tom here, he’s a great guy,” Greyson continued. “He truly is. He helped us get this game off the ground, gave us the swift kick we needed, but he’s not the only one who helped me. My fiancée, Belle Hall—now there’s a woman to give a man some inspiration.”
He took her hand and dragged her over, kissing her to the whistles and hollers from the crowd. She laughed and wrapped her arm around him as he turned back to the podium.
“But back to Tom for a moment. This man is a piece of work,” Greyson announced loudly, and the tone of his voice changed. “This man promised to be a working partner, but what did he do? He tried to steal my fiancée away from my company, and in the process, lets slip that he no longer wants to be a partner. He wants to buy my company out from under me!”
The crowd muttered and whispered before several people booed and called Tom out for it. He smiled nervously and leaned in towards Greyson. “What the hell are you doing, Grey?”
“What you were going to do to me if this game is successful,” Greyson muttered. “I had some friends at your company do a little digging. Did you really think I would let you just waltz in and take over?”
“It’s the smart move,” Tom argued.
“No, the smart move is what I did this morning when I met with your board.”
Tom’s face fell. “What are you talking about?”
Greyson reached into his back pocket and pulled out a slip of paper, holding it up for the crowd to see. “I’m pleased to announce not only a permanent partnership with Bigsby Inc.,” he said loudly, “but they now work exclusively for me as a daughter company under the Greystone Games umbrella.”
More cameras flashed, and reporters shouted questions as Tom yanked the paper from Greyson’s hand to read it. “No,” he muttered. “No, you can’t do this to me!”
“Why? Because you were going to do it to me first?” Greyson growled. “This is my company—my family—and I’m not going to let some weasel like you take it all away from me. Oh, and say hello to your new boss, Belle.”
Tom’s face screwed up in rage, and he crumbled up the paper, threw it at Greyson, and yelled as he darted off the small stage, shoving his way through the doors. Several reporters followed him, but most kept their eyes on Greyson as he held up his hands again.
“Now, for our other news… Belle?” he asked worriedly.
Her face had scrunched in confusion, and suddenly, she reached out a hand for his arm. “Sorry for the bad timing, but I think… I think I'm going into labor.”
She glanced down, and his eyes followed. “Brent!” he yelled over the crowd. “Get your car!”
“Contraction,” Belle winced and fell into his arms. “Oh God, oh shit!”
Greyson picked her up in his arms and yelled at the crowd to move as he carried her towards the door. “Hold on, Belle, we’ll get you there, just hold on.”
“He’s coming,” she whispered. “Greyson, we’re having a baby.”
He kissed her forehead and couldn’t stop the excited and nervous smile spreading across his lips. “I know, pet. It’s definitely a great day for the game launch.”
“No,” she yelped and glanced over his shoulder. “You have to go back!”
“You’re joking, right?” he grunted and laid her in the backseat of Brent’s car. “Belle, I’m not leaving you for a damn game.” He closed the door and slid into the front seat. “Drive.”
“Greyson, really, I’ll probably be in labor for hours—” A sharp cry cut through her words, and both Brent and Greyson winced. The first hunched over the wheel and muttered under his breath while the latter turned to the backseat and held Belle’s hand. “Maybe… maybe not,” she joked through her heavy breathing.
Greyson laughed. “You’re crazy, you know that?”
“You love me for it,” she replied. “Is Ben… is he following us?”
“Right behind us,” he told her after a quick look to check. “We’ll be there in five minutes, I promise.”
Greyson pulled out his cell and texted Sally. She knew the plan to let everyone else know what was happening. He tucked it away when another contraction hit and Belle screamed, gripping the backseat of the car until her knuckles turned white, her other hand gripping so hard on his he thought it’d break.
“Drive faster,” he grunted to Brent through the pain.
“Here!” Brent announced, and Greyson sighed in relief. He hopped out of the car as Greyson told Belle they’d made it.
“Are you ready for this?” she asked him.
Greyson stared at her—her beauty, the sweat breaking out on her forehead, the fire burning in her ice-blue eyes. “With you, I’ll always be ready for anything.”
The pain tore at her middle, and Belle sat up off the bed, gripping Greyson’s hand tightly as she cried out, riding the contraction. There’d been no time for an epidural, according to Higgins. The baby was coming, and he wasn’t waiting around.
“Breathe, Belle,” Greyson urged her, his voice strained. “Just breathe.”
“Stop telling me to breathe,” she snapped and winced as the pain intensified. “Son of a bitch!”
He smirked and kept rubbing her back. Higgins stood at the foot of the bed, peering between her legs. “Looking good, Belle. You’ll be able to push really soon. Just hang on.”
“She is, trust me,” Greyson muttered, and when Belle loosened her grip on his hand, he winced. “Remind me to never piss you off again. Ever.”
“I’ll apologize later,” she said and sagged to the bed.
Dr. Higgins sat down on a stool, and Belle watched her head disappear under the blue sheet. “Alright, Belle, we’re there. I need you to push when I tell you to, okay?”
Belle nodded and braced herself on her elbows. Greyson steadied her, kissing her head and whispering how much he loved her. Tears of joy and pain flowed from her eyes, but the pain dominated and she yelled as Dr. Higgins told her to push.
“Harder, Belle,” she called.
Belle sucked in a breath, pushing with everything she had before the pain faded and she fell back against Greyson. “I can’t,” she cried. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” Greyson said sternly. “You’ve never let anything stop you before. You’re not going to let the pain stop you now.”
“I gave up,” she whispered, and he stared at her confused. “I did, I gave up on finding my family.”
“I need you to push again,” Dr. Higgins said, holding her ankles. “Come on, Belle, push for me, hon!”
She gritted her teeth and pushed, holding onto Greyson as she pushed until a
scream tore from her mouth. Every muscle in her body shrieked, and she went limp again. “I gave up… I never would’ve found them.”
“But you did,” he assured her. “Belle, your family is in this room and just outside that door. They’re here for you, because of you.”
“No, because of you,” she argued, sucking in air. “What if I’m a terrible mother?”
“Look at me,” Greyson said, and she turned her gaze to find his brown eyes overflowing with love for her and their baby. “You will not be a terrible mother. Your mother loved you with everything she had, and that same passion… I see it in you every day. You saved me, Belle; you saved me from a life of loneliness, of bitterness. You really think you won’t do the same for our son?”
She shook her head. “I don’t… I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do. Stop doubting yourself,” he said and kissed her fiercely. “If nothing else, feel our love, Belle. You did that – you created it with me. That, if nothing else, should tell you there’s nothing to worry about.”
Belle nodded once as the pain rose again. Dr. Higgins stared between them, smiling softly. “You three are going to be just fine, now look at me, Belle, and push—last time, honey.”
Belle felt the pain building, and she sat up, pushing with everything she had, drawing on Greyson by her side, using his strength and their love. She pushed hard, wanting to see their son, to start their life as a family together. She screamed, and a louder, high-pitched scream joined hers. Dr. Higgins grinned, and Belle’s body relaxed as their baby came into the world. She fell back one final time and Greyson kissed her, holding her close as Dr. Higgins held the baby, cut the umbilical cord, and handed him over to a nurse.
“You did wonderfully,” she told Belle. “Just wonderfully.”
She smiled, exhausted, and listened to their little boy’s cries. “Greyson,” she whispered. “We never picked out a name.”
“I think I came up with one,” he said as the nurse walked their baby over to them.