Redemption (The Bet)

by Phal, Francette

  "Nicholas?"

  His eyes wavered and found Ellie's own and in those luminescent hazel depths, Nicholas searched and found hope. It was a flicker, barely brighter than a Dollar mart candle, but flicker it did and it was the only hope that Nicholas needed. As angry as he might’ve been with her, they’d created these children. Dylan and Bella were theirs and whether she liked it or not, they now and forever shared a bond.

  "I'm fine." he finally reassured.

  Bella drew away from Ellie’s side and approached him. "Does this mean you're going to stay with us now?" she guilelessly inquired of him.

  "If that's what you want." Of course now that he knew of them, nothing on God's green earth would keep him away from his children.

  She nodded, tawny ringlets bobbing. "Yes, I'd want that very much. Isn't that cool Dylan? We'll have two dads now!' her enthusiasm did not live a long life as her brother glared at her and then turned a glower that had taken Nicholas years to perfect on him.

  "I don't care what anyone says, he's not our, Dad." He seemed so firm in that belief.

  "Dylan…" Ellie began, but was shut off by his daughter's loud cry of.

  "He is too our dad!"

  "No he's not! Devlin's our Dad!" Ellie heard Nicholas's indrawn breath and felt the verbal slap just as deeply.

  "Alright you two, that's enough. I want you to go outside and wait with your sister, now." Dylan glared first at Ellie, then at Nicholas and finished off with his sister. He walked away with all the affronted pomp of a Grayson brat and Nicholas did not know whether to feel proud or ashamed.

  "I'm happy you're back," Bella’s smile eased the constricting ache around Nicholas's heart. Her simple words of welcomed acceptance dulled the rejection of his other child. Hesitantly she moved into Nicholas's arms. Slim arms diffidently wrapped around his neck, her head fell softly against his cheek. "Can I call you, Daddy?" her hushed inquiry broke the dam and the tears came silently. He did not permit them to fall and that in itself was no small feat.

  "Yeah," he choked out, his eyes meeting Ellie's over her small shoulders. "You can call me, Daddy." He pulled away and brought his hand to her downy soft cheek.

  “Ok, babe, out with you. Go and find your brother and sister." Ellie shooed her away after one last hug for Nicholas.

  The closing of the door brought about a silence wrought with scalding bitterness. He stood at length, a flicking glance from diamond hard eyes overflowed with contempt. “You were pregnant the night you came to see me.” he stated.

  “Yes.”

  “And you didn’t bother to tell me.”

  “No.”

  “Why?”

  “I…” she faltered, uncertain of her reasoning now. “I…I didn’t know how.” She said weakly.

  “You didn’t know how.” He mocked, eyes blazing, he approached. “Ten years, Ellie. Jesus Christ! Ten fucking years and this is how I find out that I have children! After all that happened with Maddie, you’d think…” he trailed off, turning away from her. He raked a hand through his hair and cursed, then speared her with those diamond hard eyes. “Did you ever plan on telling me?”

  Ellie couldn’t think let alone speak in that moment and he took her silence as answer, condemning her further.

  “Christ, Ellie. I didn’t know you could be so cruel.” He soberly whispered.

  “I’d wanted to tell you. I wrote you so many letters, so many times, every day that I was pregnant, I wrote you.” She said fervently, her hands on her chest, pleading for him to understand. “But you hurt me so deeply, Nicholas, so damn deeply, that I couldn’t even look at you. I know it’s no excuse, but you have to understand. We went through so much, Tony…you…I just couldn’t do it anymore. You said you didn’t want me, the babies were all I had left of you.”

  “I would’ve been there.” He said stonily.

  “And you would’ve resented us later. You were hell-bent on breaking us up, determined to destroy not only yourself but me as well. If I’d stayed, if I’d told you…”

  “I would’ve been a father to them, Ellie.”

  “Did you even know how?” the moment it left her mouth Ellie instantly regretted it wishing it back proved futile.

  He looked at her as if she’d struck him. “That’s below the belt.”

  “Nicholas, I’m sorry.” She went to him because she couldn’t bear not to, but he took a step back from her, shielding himself from her.

  “An eye for an eye, right, Ellie? I broke your heart, you break my will.”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t…”

  "Do you have any idea what it’s like to look at those children--my children and not even know when their birthdays are? To look at them and wonder what their first words were or even how they began to walk? You can't even begin to comprehend the agony of hearing Dylan say that I'm not his father?”

  Ellie gasped as Nicholas advanced on her, grabbed onto her arms with the desperation of a madman. "It hurts to the bone.” He grounded out. “How could you keep them from me?”

  Ellie’s heart broke all over again, shattering at her feet when she saw the evidence of tears in dove gray eyes. Anguish punched through his anger to flay at her and bit her lip to keep her own tears at bay. “I’m sorry, Nicholas. I truly am. I was only trying to protect myself.”

  “From me.”

  “Yes, from you.”

  Relinquishing his hold as if scorched, Nicholas stepped back. The tension in the room kindling to their burning match.

  "Ellie?" the door opened and Miranda stepped through, not too far behind her Devlin, Dina and Sonya followed. They entered the room and assessed both occupants to see if they'd managed to damage each other.

  Devlin lengthened strides immediately took him to Ellie's side and he enveloped her in a brief hug. He pulled back and cupped her face. "Are you alright?" no doubt he was still angry with her for the secret that she'd kept, but that was conversation for a later date, Ellie had promised him as much. There were many things Devlin knew they had to discuss before they headed for the altar. God only knew how much he adored Ellie, but if the foundation of their relationship was based solely on lies than things would need to change.

  She leaned into his touch, taking whatever comfort she could. "I'm fine. We were just finishing up here."

  "We are far from finished, Ellie. You will not keep me from my children again."

  Miranda gasped as she looked at her son and then at Ellie. "Children? Ellie what is going on?"

  "I don't intend on keeping you away from your children, Nicholas. You have every right to be in their lives."

  "This has gone on for far too long. Now Mr. Grayson we understand the circumstances in which you have found yourself, but please try to understand that nothing will be resolved this evening. This is my son's engagement party and we would like to get back to it. Tomorrow, we will discuss this further." Miranda, always the diplomat, gently tried to allay the situation.

  "You can bet on that." Just as torrentially as he had swept in, Nicholas walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

  ~*~*~*~

  Her mother was going to kill her, of that Sophie had no doubt. But she needed to see if Nicholas was alright. She’d just gotten him back. There was no way she was going to let him leave again. She dodged through the crowd, making sure to avoid her family, she snuck outside. The valet attendant was in quick showing her where her ‘uncle’ Nicholas Graysons’s car was parked and with Sophie, quick as Bee, hoped in the back seat of the luxury car to wait for him.

  Chapter 10

  The assembly of guests parted ways as they made their way through. Whispered words rang loud and clear, seemingly inconspicuous hand gestures were clearly seen and the gawking eyes of hundreds pierced their flesh like a heated knife through butter. At least that was how Samantha felt as she and Nicholas trekked through the mire of invited guests. Trying to emulate Nicholas’s imperturbable façade was a task for easier said than done. Samantha managed, but only barely, los
ing her composure when she suspected the guests were looking at her a bit differently now that the cat had been let out of the bag.

  She hadn't been there to witness the scene, but her ears worked perfectly well and as deafening as the whispers were, she'd heard everything. Every little piece of sordid gossip slipped from the flapping gums of the matronly to the eager ears of fascinated debutantes and vice versa. Everyone was aware, everyone was flabbergasted, but none as much as Samantha.

  She'd been curious of Nicholas's past, enthused to discover what little secrets lay beneath the beautiful exterior of the man she dreamed of one day calling husband. But in all her intricate imaginings, she’d never imagined this. The ex-lover, Samantha had expected, after all, it was Nicholas Grayson. But the tawny haired, bright-eyed children were a stunner.

  It was crazy!

  The entire debacle was outrageous and yet the cruel, naked truth forced her to believe the impossible. Nicholas had fathered children with this Ellie person and as far as Samantha could tell their relationship hadn’t been a quick one night stand.

  From beneath the veil of her mascara laden lashes, Samantha chanced a look and was not surprised to see that tension still lingered beneath the layers of Nicholas's tuxedo. Years of working close to him had made Samantha almost an expert in figuring out Nicholas's moods. Simple little actions spoke volumes in the way he comported himself but right now she didn't need years of experience to know that his world had been knocked off its axis and the only way he seemed to be dealing with it was withdrawing within himself.

  He hadn't said a word since leaving that room he’d disappeared into with his Ex. He'd briefly spoken to his mother, unable to ignore her desperate pleas for answers, Samantha figured, and it was only during that short talk did she manage to understand a little bit of the chaos that had happened.

  "Nicholas." She lengthened her strides to match his longer one. "Nicholas," she called again, breathless. "Please stop." Maybe it was the tremor of imploration in her voice that finally put a halt to his hurried steps, or maybe it was the subtle pressure of her hand on his bicep, whatever it was Samantha was glad for it when Nicholas turned around to face her.

  "Are you alright?" She knew he had no reason to share anything with her. She was after all only his assistant, but she couldn't just quietly walk beside him and watch him suffer while she did nothing but agonize over the fate of her blistered toes.

  "I'm fine." Never had there been a bigger lie told but Samantha allowed him the luxury of clinging to his pride. He looked like it was the only thing he had left to him. "I'm sorry." He pulled his arm free of her grasp. "I haven't been the best escort." He tried to give her that dashing smile, the one that could light up a couple of football stadiums and melt hearts in the same breath, but it sadly lacked charm.

  There was a distinctive chill in the air the moment they stepped outside, Nicholas shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket and guided a shivering Samantha into its satin lined comfort. She smiled in thanks and inwardly relished the clinging scent of Nicholas's cologne, realizing that this was as close as being wrapped up in his arms. "Thank you."

  He gave a one shoulder shrug. "It's nothing." He looked worn, dejected even. Samantha felt for him.

  "Look, I know I don't have the right to be saying this. But I sort of figured knowing you for as long as I have, I think that we've transcended that line between boss and employee and become friends. So, as your friend, I just want to let you know that I'm here for you, Nicholas. No matter what it is you're going through just know that I'll always be around to listen." Nicholas drew Samantha to him as several guests headed their way, artfully avoiding disaster. But before Samantha could delight in the sensation of having Nicholas’s arms around her, their car took exactly that time to pull up to the curb. Nicholas ushered Samantha into the warm interior and closed the door behind them.

  As the black Rolls Royce began its ascent up the curved pathway, he opened his mouth to speak. "I appreciate the fact that you…"And stopped the moment his gaze caught sight of Sophie's prone form nestled against the leather seats.

  Samantha followed his gaze and gasped. "Who is she?"

  Nicholas did not immediately respond as he approached the slumbering girl, a barrage of questions pummeling his brain. He focused on just one, curious as to why Ellie’s daughter was in the back seat of his town car. "Sophie?" he shook her gently, whispering her name as not to alarm her.

  "Sophie? Nicholas, who is she?"

  "Someone very dear to me.” He murmured with a smile. "Sophie."

  Bleary eyes fluttered open and upon the realization that it was Nicholas she was looking at, she hastily sat up and nervously grinned at him.

  "I'm guessing you probably want an explanation as to why I'm in your car?"

  "That would be a start, yes." He said with mild amusement.

  She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment a habit that was so reminiscent of her mother, before turning jet black eyes on him. “Are you leaving again?” She asked in a small voice making her sound so much younger than she was. The question tugged at Nicholas’s heart, the emotions on Sophie’s face doing nothing at all to in making him feel good about himself.

  Sweet little Sophie. She’d suffered in all of this. His relationship with her mother, Nicholas mused bitterly, had taken no prisoners.

  “No,” he began. “No, I’m not leaving again. In fact, I think I’ll be sticking around for a very long time.”

  Her smile, like before, brightened his otherwise dreary existence and for that small unwitting gift Nicholas was grateful.

  “Just don’t leave again, ok? At least not without saying goodbye first.”

  He reached over to draw her to him, the embrace comforting them both. “You won’t need to worry about that.”

  Samantha witnessed the scene in silence, awed by this side of Nicholas she’d never been allowed to see. Dread shot through her, aiming for that dream Samantha had clung to for five desperate years now.

  Ellie Holbrook and her children were a threat to her dream.

  ~*~*~*~

  Roan Westport had made it a point to dislike Sophie Holbrook. Why? Because she was a spoiled brat who failed to appreciate all that she had.

  Her misbehavior was constantly overlooked. She was irrational and stupid, quick to interfere in situations that did not concern her. She took advantage of her kindhearted mother and exploited the love she knew would always be there.

  No one saw through that angelic 'but I'm a good girl and only want to help' bullshit, but Roan did and soon everyone would see it too.

  Sophie did not deserve half of the things she had in her life and her mother's constant devotion was one of them. Roan had wanted Ellie to be his mother since the first time he'd met her. Ellie was kind, patient, loving and caring, everything that his own mother was not. When Ellie and his father began dating, Roan couldn't have been happier. Life had been bliss for the first month, but then Ellie introduced them to her children. Dylan and Isabella, Roan had taken a shine to and vice versa, but the little hellion named Sophie, he’d instantly despised and still it continued to this day.

  Therefore as devoted president of the “I hate Sophie Holbrook’ club, it was his duty to expose her for the little rodent that she was.

  She was up to something. But what was what he wanted to know. He watched her from the shadows as she climbed into the interior of one the queued cars. He waited for her to get out and when she failed to reappear ten minutes later, Roan did not know whether to run after the car that was now pulling away from the curb or go tell his father and Ellie.

  The latter won out. Spinning on his heel he raced for the stairs.

  ~*~*~*~

  “What the hell just happened?”

  Wishing and wishing and wishing, that was all Ellie had done since her life exploded in her face. She was once again left to pick up the pieces one at a time hoping to salvage a little bit of what she had left.

  Devlin was angry, had every right to be and Ellie fel
t the brunt of that anger in the small room that had become her confessional. She’d lied by omission, keeping her past with Nicholas private, locked safely away in that dark little place in her heart. She hadn’t thought that she’d needed to tell him that little piece of history. So she’d kept quiet about the whole dirty saga and it now her silence was coming back to bite her in the ass.

  Her secrets were now out in the open for everyone to witness. She’d wronged so many people, had caused so much damage that she didn’t even know where to start the mending process.

  “Nicholas and I…” she began but faltered, needing a moment to find the right words to explain her and Nicholas.

  "How do you even know Nicholas Grayson?" He asked flatly moving over the liquor cabinet to pour himself something solid.

  “We went to school together.” She sighed. “Our relationship was doomed from the start. But he meant everything to me. I loved him completely, but in the end he didn’t want me. So I ran.”

  “And the kids?” he prompted.

  “He didn’t know about Bella and Dylan.” She admitted with a wearied sigh.

  He regarded her through narrowed eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Ellie gave a one shoulder shrug. “I didn’t think it mattered.”

  Setting the glass tumbler down, Devlin approached her. He didn’t immediately close the distance between them but waited, settling dark blue eyes on her in search of something only he seemed privy to.

  "You know what hurts the most, Ellie? I’ve shared everything with you, and yet you couldn’t bring yourself to tell me about this part of your life. And I can’t help but wonder why. So I’m going ask you to be honest with me here. Is he someone I have to worry about? Are you still in love with him?”