Whatever the Price

by Jules Bennett

  Picking up the baby and kissing her on the nose, Charlotte moved across the room, flicked on the soft, soothing lullaby and picked up the bottle from the cribside table. Anthony thought he’d watch her rock Lily to sleep and enjoy listening to her hum along with the gentle music, but instead Charlotte moved to the door and slowly closed it, forcing him to back out into the hall.

  Okay. Better than a slap in the face and nothing less than he deserved.

  Because he knew she’d be a while, probably out of spite more than how long it took for Lily to fall asleep, he went downstairs and retrieved his bags from the car.

  After he put the bags in their bedroom, he went to grab a shower. He’d been traveling all day and had been stuck in some godforsaken field in Kansas or wherever the hell it was. He’d opted to wait out the storm by checking every fifteen seconds for a cell signal. He should’ve been smart enough to stay behind like Bronson and wait out the bad weather.

  Frustrated, angry and more than worried that Charlotte wouldn’t understand, Anthony hurried through his shower and was just stepping back into the bedroom fisting a towel in his hand when Charlotte came in.

  “I hope you don’t think that’s going to distract me,” she told him, her eyes raking down to his bare chest then back up.

  “No, I thought you’d take longer,” he answered honestly. “How was the court hearing?”

  “The one you missed earlier today?” she asked with a sweet smile on her face. “Oh, it was lonely, embarrassing, and I had to make up excuses as to why one of the guardians couldn’t make it. Simply saying you were too selfish wouldn’t have looked good, so I explained that you were out of town on business. I even painted lies all around you by saying how you’re the poster child for a family man and that you’re devoted to your work so we can have all the nice things that Lily will need as well as loving people who adore her.”

  Still clutching his towel, Anthony remained rooted to the plush carpet. “I’m sorry you felt you had to lie for me. I’m even more sorry you were alone and embarrassed.”

  With one hand on her swollen belly, Charlotte swiped away a tear with the other hand. “Being sorry is the story of our marriage, Anthony. You don’t know how I thought you’d changed, how I’d hoped and prayed. Before you left on this trip, I worried once you started this filming cycle again, that your niece and your pregnant wife would be brushed aside for the new and exciting. And I was right.”

  He took a step forward. “Charlie—”

  “No,” she said, holding up a hand. “Don’t say another word. I had a terrible feeling you’d push me to the bottom of the list, but to do it to two innocent children is intolerable.”

  Fear, dread and just plain guilt squeezed his chest. “I did everything I could to get back here.”

  “Really?” Sarcasm dripped from her voice as she moved over to the bed and sat on the edge. Lacing her hands around her slightly swollen stomach, she added, “And was this before or after you spent the day with A-list actors, their agents and your brother?”

  “After,” he said through gritted teeth. “I left on time, as I told you I was going to. Please, hear me out before deciding that I’m the scum of the earth and not worthy.”

  Without a word, she merely quirked a brow.

  “Before we took off, my pilot warned me we should reroute due to a windstorm over the Midwest. I refused and told him to go ahead and stay on course.” Anthony crossed to the bed, propped one hand on the thick post and looked down at his beautiful, he hoped forgiving, wife. “I didn’t call because it was early here and I truly didn’t think there would be a problem. As we drew closer, the pilot was told there was no way he could fly through and we needed to reroute. But before he could, we were forced to make an emergency landing in some field in Kansas.”

  “Anthony, this story—”

  “Is the truth,” he told her. “I’m good, but I’m not this good. We had to wait out the storm in the plane and I swear it felt like we were rocking back and forth. There was no way we could’ve taken off. There was no cell service. I tried stepping off the plane, I tried walking to different ends of the plane, but nothing. We were honest-to-God in the middle of nowhere and there was no way to contact you.”

  Anthony stopped, waited for her to say something, but silence filled the room and he knew he’d taken one giant leap backward and had landed right where he had started three months ago.

  “I know this sounds ridiculous,” he went on. “But I tried to get back in time. I tried.”

  Charlotte looked down at her stomach, rubbed the swell before looking back up at him, tears shimmering in her bright green eyes. “And what will happen when you’re gone and you try to get back for the birth of our baby? What will happen if I go into labor early or something goes wrong? Will you miss everything but expect my immediate forgiveness because you tried?”

  “I wouldn’t miss the birth of our child,” he told her, hating this position he’d put them in again.

  “You didn’t think you’d miss the court date to gain legal custody of Lily, though, did you?”

  Anthony sighed, moving over to sit on the bed next to Charlotte. “No, I didn’t, but I won’t put myself in that position again where I’m cutting things too close.”

  Charlotte came to her feet, looked down at him and nodded. “You’re right. You won’t.”

  A sick feeling of dread overcame him.

  “Charlie,” he said, reaching for her, but she stepped back and lifted her chin.

  “I love you, Anthony, but I have to love myself and love these babies enough to know when we deserve better than leftovers.” She moved to the dresser where she pulled out a pair of pajamas. “I’ll be in the guest room on the other side of Lily. Tomorrow I will work on finding a place of my own.”

  “You can’t mean this,” he pleaded. “You can’t give up when we’ve come so far.”

  Charlotte turned, clutching her clothing to her chest. “I never gave up. Don’t you see, Anthony? It was you all along. You tried, but in the end everything still hinged on your career—not the future of your niece and our marriage, not to mention this baby I’m carrying. So don’t tell me not to give up when I’ve tried for years to show you my love. I just can’t make you love me enough, and I deserve better.”

  Anthony let her walk from the room. He’d stressed her enough and she needed to be alone. So did he, because she was right. She did deserve better, and who was he to just expect her to wait around for him to realize it?

  Still clad in only his towel, Anthony lay back on the king-sized bed and stared up at the peaked canopy. The issue wasn’t that he was late because of plane problems. The issue was that he’d cut his career and his personal life so close together that he’d inadvertently made the decision as to which one was more important.

  He ran a hand over his face and resisted the urge to scream and curse. What good would it do? Who would he yell at? There was no one to blame here but himself. There was nothing he could do tonight to make Charlotte understand that he truly loved her, loved these babies and loved this marriage. He’d explained what had happened, but she hadn’t cared. He couldn’t blame her.

  But he could start, right now, by making this right. The move was risky, and he might end up losing everything he’d ever wanted, but he had to try. He had to make her see that she was the number-one priority in his life. Charlotte and the babies were his life, and he couldn’t just give up now. Not when they’d come so far and so much was at stake.

  Twenty

  Charlotte rang the doorbell of her Hollywood Hills home. Nerves settled in her stomach as she stood there waiting for the door to open.

  A week ago she’d left and had gone to stay with her friend until she could find a place of her own. She’d been by to see Lily almost every day, but she’d only stayed a little while because being back in the house, kn
owing what she could never have, rubbed that raw spot on her heart.

  But this morning when she’d gotten on her laptop to check a few new places that had gone on the market, one of the main headlines had captured her attention, stolen her breath and changed her life.

  So here she was, ready to see what was going on, to see if what she’d read was true, and if so, to beg for another chance.

  The door swung open and Monique stood there with a stunned expression on her face. “Mrs. Price, I don’t know why you insist on ringing the bell.”

  Charlotte returned the smile and stepped over the threshold. “Because this is Anthony’s house now, Monique. Is he around?”

  “It’s your house, too,” the maid mumbled as she turned in the foyer. “He’s in the Florida room with Lily.”

  Charlotte moved through the house and found Anthony crawling on his hands and knees around a big potted plant. She stood in the doorway and smiled.

  “What are you looking for?” she asked.

  Anthony jerked his head up. “I’m chasing Lily Bug around.”

  Just then Lily walked around the sofa and giggled before falling on her diapered butt.

  “Oh, my gosh,” Charlotte squealed. “She wasn’t walking yesterday when I saw her.”

  Anthony came to his feet. “She was really trying last night and this morning she kind of took off. She’s been going all around, especially if she’s holding something.”

  Charlotte didn’t want to tear up over missing Lily’s first major milestone, but dammit, these pregnancy hormones were out of control.

  “I can’t believe I missed it,” Charlotte said, picking up Lily and giving her kisses on her nose. “You’re going to be into everything now. Yes, you are.”

  Anthony came to his feet and kicked some wayward blocks out of the way. “I’ll let you visit with her.”

  When he started to walk out, Charlotte called his name. “Don’t go. I actually came to talk to you.”

  He placed his hands on his hips and it was then that Charlotte noticed Mr. Hotshot Director who wore Armani like a second skin now resembled Mr. Mom. With his disheveled hair, baby-food stains on his gray T-shirt and no shoes, he could so play the roll of stay-at-home mom.

  “Is it about the baby?” he asked. “I still want to come to all the appointments.”

  Charlotte gently placed Lily back on the floor to continue playing. “No, I’m not here about the baby. I’m here to see if it’s true.”

  He studied her face, the muscle ticking in his jaw. “Yes.”

  Charlotte wasn’t surprised he knew exactly what she was asking. “Why?” she asked.

  He shrugged and crossed the room to take a seat on the plush white sofa. “I needed to make a choice between my family and my career. I made it. It’s not as if I need to work to support myself.”

  Charlotte stared at him, unable to believe what she was hearing. “You quit the one project you’d been dying to get so you could take care of your family?”

  “I may have lost you over my decisions, but I still need to make sure I’m there for the kids.” His eyes drifted out onto the pool, and that muscle ticked in his jaw again. “I won’t have them doubt my love.”

  A piece of Charlotte’s heart broke at his soft words. He was trying to be the perfect father and she’d totally ignored that he wasn’t going to be perfect and this was who he was. She’d fallen in love with the man—director and all.

  She moved on into the room and stood next to his chair until he looked up at her.

  “They never would’ve doubted your love,” she told him. “And I was a fool to think you hadn’t changed.”

  “No,” he corrected before she could speak further. “Had I not cut my trip so close, I would’ve been there for the court date. I would’ve made my commitment to our family, but I wasn’t there because I was too busy trying to fit in everything in a short amount of time. I won’t do that to you or the kids anymore. Ever.”

  Charlotte squatted down beside him, laying her hand on his knee. “I came by to talk some sense into you. I wanted you to know that I can see how much you value this family and I know you’re living your own hell inside by beating yourself up over what happened.”

  He didn’t speak, but his eyes slid to Lily as she played with her baby doll and bottle. His lips thinned, a sure sign that he was upset.

  “Listen.” She squeezed his leg until his focus came back to her. “I think we both went into this ninety-day period with the wrong attitude. I thought it could produce a miracle and you thought you could be the perfect husband, father and director. But we both messed up. We both need to own up to our mistakes and just realize we’re human and we’re going to screw up.”

  Anthony reached out and cupped the side of her face. “Damn, Charlotte. You have no idea how much I want to be the perfect everything for you. I never want to let you down, but I find myself doing it over and over.”

  “And I keep throwing it in your face,” she added. “If you weren’t willing to love me and these babies the way we need, you never would’ve given up the film. Please, Anthony. Don’t lose a piece of yourself by trying to prove something. Call Bronson and tell him you made a mistake.”

  He surged to his feet, raking a hand through his hair. “You don’t get it. I don’t care about the film, Charlie. I want you back. I left the project because I wanted to focus on us. Even though you swore we were through, I knew if I just left completely and focused on the children, you’d come around and we could…I don’t know. Start over.”

  Warmth, love and hope spread through her.

  “You quit to focus on being a father?” she asked.

  “I didn’t know any other way to get your attention and prove to you how sorry I am than to put my sole focus on the children…and hopefully, you.”

  Charlotte’s heart broke at the sacrifice he’d made, but she also couldn’t help but think that maybe she’d pushed him too far.

  Closing the gap between them, she placed her hands on the sides of his face. “I want you to call Bronson and tell him you want back in. Then I want you to go to my car and get my suitcase because I’m coming back home.”

  His hands slid over her baby bump as a smile spread across his face. “Are you sure? Can we really do this?”

  “I want you to do what you love,” she told him. “I don’t want you to do what I want you to do. You can’t live your life just for me.”

  “Oh, Charlie,” he whispered, kissing her lips softly. “I can live my life for you and these babies. I’ll do whatever I can to keep all of you happy.”

  “Then get back in this project and keep this film in the family.”

  He kissed her again. “Because family is everything.”

  Epilogue

  Anthony had tripped over dolls, spilled a sippy cup of apple juice down the front of his shirt and gone through all the wipes in the diaper bag when Lily had had her major explosion in her diaper.

  But he wouldn’t trade these moments for anything, even if they were all taking place on the set of the upcoming film.

  He sat down in his director’s chair and watched her play at his feet.

  It wouldn’t be long before his own little girl arrived.

  “Sorry I’m late.” Charlotte breezed in and stepped over the cords running along the concrete floor. “I tried to leave, but Hannah loves to talk.”

  “I take it the interior designing went well, then?” he asked, coming to his feet to kiss her cheek.

  “Beautifully.” Charlotte beamed. “She’s starting immediately in the guest room on the other side of Lily’s and she had some great ideas.”

  Anthony bent down to pick up Lily. “We’ve had a great time learning all about the set of movies.”

  With a laugh, Charlotte ran a finger over his damp, stained
shirt. “I see that. Was she too much trouble? I really wouldn’t have minded taking her with me.”

  “She was fine,” he assured. “I’m thrilled I can bring her here. Movies will be in her blood. Who knows? She may be directing our lives when we’re older.”

  Charlotte rubbed her protruding belly and he couldn’t help but smile. How lucky was he not only to be given a second chance but to have two children to complete his family?

  “So she’s going to direct biographies?” Charlotte asked with a sly grin.

  Anthony wrapped an arm around her waist and hugged her to his side. “More like romance.”

  “I love you, Anthony.”

  “I know you do.” He kissed her forehead as he held Lily on his hip. “I love you more each day.”

  “Would you like to show me around?” she asked.

  Anthony stepped back. “Seriously?”

  “Why not? I’ve never visited your set before. I’d like to be part of this. You took so much interest in my volunteer work. I think it’s important for us to support each other.”

  The therapist had agreed, too.

  “I’d love to show you this side of my life.” He took her hand and led her through. “Watch the cords.”

  Just then she tripped. Lightning-fast reflexes had him wrapping an arm around her to support her while keeping Lily on his other side.

  “My balance is a bit off with this extra weight in the front,” she joked. “Thanks for catching me.”

  “Always, Charlie.” He gazed into her eyes and smiled. “I’ll always be here to catch you.”

  * * * * *

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