“Excuse me?” He hisses the question out.
“I was building up to telling you that, Rayne.”
“Well, you can tell me now, Jace.”
“He threatened me, told me if I didn’t find a way to make you leave then he’d do something to Hadley. And Rayne, I don’t think he meant legally. I’m scared for our daughter.”
“No one’s gonna hurt her, either of you, Jacey. I will hire an entire fleet of around-the-clock bodyguards if I have to.”
“I don’t want us to live that way, Rayne. We have to make Jameson go away, but I’m not sure how we can do that without him coming around and retaliating.”
“You let me and my sisters take care of Jameson, Jacey. He’s going to be drowned in lawsuits. He won’t have enough money left to his name to piss in a toilet, let alone enough money to come after any of us. I’ll send him home then get my attorney to freeze his accounts as we get the paperwork going. He’s going to pay for all of his sins, that I can guarantee.”
10
Rayne
The next two weeks manage to fly by in a blur of activity. I’ve had little, miniscule amounts of time to work on my music, much to Jameson’s dismay, as I get to know my daughter. On the advice of our attorney, we’re letting him stick around long enough to build a case against him. He’s being followed, his shit has been bugged, and since I pay for all of his electronic equipment, it’s legal.
I went ahead and hired a firm to watch Jacey and Hadley. They are discreet; Jacey knows they’re there, but we didn’t want to scare or worry Hadley, so the guys stay out of sight. I have an entire team at my disposal twenty-four-hours a day. If I can’t be with my family, they are. It makes things easier when I’m working on new pieces for our upcoming album.
Each day has been enlightening as I learn new and exciting things when it comes to my baby girl. Her mind is always a whirlwind of activity and she’s full of endless questions. Jacey’s and my talk about the situation that sent her running away without informing me about our daughter’s existence runs in loops inside my mind daily.
Jameson won’t know what hit him as soon as I have all my ducks in a row.
Sibley and Justine have slowly started coming around where Jacey is concerned. They cried and were astounded by Jameson’s outlandish treachery once they had the entire picture laid out before them. Jacey didn’t hold back as she spoke about her run-in with Jameson and the things she witnessed at the club.
Billie, on the other hand, is still holding her at arm’s length. She’s not as angry as she once was, well, not at Jacey, but her trust was broken and it’ll take a while to get her back to the same level as my other two siblings. Patience and time, that’s what it’ll take for Jacey and Billie to re-form their now-shattered bond.
Jacey has been at the bank today, gathering up all the photocopies of deposited checks. I’m delighted with the knowledge that they’ve all gone into an account for Hadley’s future. My woman has always been a hard worker, but this goes to show that she’s never been about my money. It’s gone a long way in proving to me the type of woman she truly is . . . one I’ve always known but my staff has always questioned. I can’t wait to shove this down their fucking throats.
My little girl is sound asleep in my arms when Jacey comes home. “She never naps for me like that.” She places her things down on the coffee table in front of us. The envelope she set there is burning a hole in my retinas.
“That it?” I question her.
“Yes, every photocopied check for the last two-and-a-half years. It’s all there for your viewing pleasure. I hope you nail Jameson to the cross for this, Rayne.”
“Don’t you worry, Jace. He’ll never work in the music industry again once I’m through with him. He won’t even be qualified to take out the damn trash in a studio.”
“You know he’s going to come after you once you do, right? He’s a slimy, slithering snake of a man,” she hisses.
“He is, but I dare him to bring it on.”
“Just be careful, Rayne. I don’t trust him.”
“You and me both, gorgeous. But that’s my cross to bear. I don’t want you to worry over him. The girls and I have that covered.”
My sisters and I are working today. I am keeping my eyes firmly glued to Jameson’s every move. It’s hard as fuck not to jump over my drum set and beat the ever-loving fuck out of that asshole. He smiles at me every time he catches me looking at him; he doesn’t have a care in the world. He thinks he’s gotten the best of Jacey, and I can’t wait to shove it in his face that I know everything he’s done.
My sisters have made sure to keep him busy while I sneak off to spend some time with my family. Jacey and I are taking things one baby step at a time. We’re both still attracted to each other immensely, but we need to build this relationship on other things. It’s an entirely different dynamic than what it used to be. I would love nothing more than to crawl between her thighs and plant my dick inside of her core, but I don’t want to jump the gun and undo all the progress we’ve been making.
We’ve kept our ‘relationship’, whatever it is, on the downlow so we haven’t gone out in public yet. The furthest we’ve made it from the house was the picnic that we had in the backyard with Hadley. When nighttime fell, I used her barbeque pit to light a fire, and we had s’mores underneath the stars. Touring in all the big cities, I have forgotten how brightly they shine when smog isn’t covering them up.
I’ve set up a surprise for my girls today. I’ve hired a couple of ladies to go to Jacey’s house and provide my girls with a bit of pampering. They’ll be getting their toes, nails and hair done. I’ve even set up a massage for Jacey; she works so hard that a day of luxury won’t hurt her. She deserves it. I never understood how much work and details went into planning parties and weddings. People come from hours away to have her take care of their shit.
In the short time that I’ve been around, I’ve witnessed her leaving her house before the sun rises and not making it home until well after it’s set for the night. And she still manages to make time for Hadley between all of that.
I don’t know how the fuck she does it. She’s like the epitome of supermom.
Speaking of moms, Jacey and I need to have another discussion. It’s time that Hadley gets to meet her grandparents. I feel weighted down by the guilt of keeping her existence from our parents.
I’m a little worried about how that conversation is going to go over, but it has to be done. I nearly spilled the secret last night during our weekly family check-in. My mom wanted to know why we didn’t come home to work, and I had to fucking lie to her in order to keep from spilling why we chose this town to work in.
We wrap up practice and I go grab myself and my sisters a cold bottle of water. “Can y’all come over and keep Hadley occupied tonight? Jacey and I need to have a talk, without little ears. It’s time to tell Mom and Dad about Hadley.”
“Oh, thank God,” Sibley announces. “It’s been hard as fuck not to tell them about her. I caught myself the other day wanting to share something funny Hadley had said.”
“They are gonna be so fucking pissed,” Billie inserts. “Especially Mom. I’m afraid of the flying switch coming with her and swatting my ass.”
Mom used to make us go out to the trees on our property and pick our own switches when she wanted to paddle our asses. Nine times out of ten, we deserved it, but choosing our own was punishment enough if you were to ask me. The anticipation of picking out your own somehow fucks with your mind more than the actual act of swatting.
“What do you think Jacey is gonna say?” Justine asks as she worriedly chews on her bottom lip.
“I think she’s gonna be scared, but she knows it’s the right thing to do. So in the long run, I believe we’ll be making a couple of phone calls.”
“Better you than me, big brother,” Billie quips. “They’re gonna skin y’all to pieces.”
“No doubt,” I respond, already dreading the hurt tone that will come f
rom my mom. “Anyway, can y’all?”
“I’ll be there,” Sibley excitedly states. She’s enamored with her niece and enjoys spending as much time as she can with her.
“We’ll all be there, but what about Jameson? Who’s gonna keep him occupied if we’re with you?” Justine’s worry is understandable, but I’m tired of tiptoeing around his ass.
“I don’t give a fuck anymore. We’re this close,” I say holding my fingers apart to where their brushing against one another, “of getting rid of his ass… permanently.”
“We’ve got your back, Rayne. We could fire him right now and not lose any sleep over it,” Sibley emphatically informs me.
“Here, here,” Billie says, holding her water bottle over her head.
“I wanna get word from Baxter before I continue,” I state. Baxter is our attorney who fucking despises Jameson. He’s working night and day to build a case against him. One that will ensure Jameson not only does time, but is held monetarily responsible for his actions. I have a feeling we’ve only discovered a small fraction of what all he’s been doing while managing the band. Another reason I regret my actions a few years ago; with Jacey managing us, we never worried about getting screwed over.
Jacey
Today was a shocking surprise. When someone started pounding on my door after lunch, I was surprised to see three women standing there holding supplies. I thought they had the wrong house at first, but when they informed me that Rayne had sent them here to ‘spoil his girls’ my jaw hit the ground.
I’ve been massaged, my hair has been trimmed and my nails match Hadley’s… she insisted. Luckily for me, she picked a cotton candy pink so it should go with all of my outfits for work and still keep me looking professional.
I’ve just started working on dinner when there’s yet another knock on my door for the day. Rayne told me earlier that they were working in the studio and he wasn’t sure if he’d make it over or not, which has me worried who my new visitor may be.
“I’s gots it!” Hadley hollers out as I hear her toddler feet rushing for the door.
“Hadley Nicole! No, ma’am, we don’t know who it is,” I reprimand her as I follow closely behind her.
“I’s knows, I looked out the window. It’s my daddy and aunties!” she cries out, stomping her foot in aggravation toward me. She turns around and lifts up on the tips of her toes, trying with all of her might to reach the deadbolt. “Mommy, I can’t reach!”
“I’ve got it,” I inform her as I lift her up and help her turn it. She anxiously reaches for the knob and after a few tries, gets it to turn. “Daddy!” she hollers as her eyes land on Rayne.
“Baby girl,” Rayne mimics her enthusiasm and catches her as she attempts to leap out of my arms and into his.
“I’ve misseded you this much,” Hadley exuberantly says as she holds her arms out to where her shoulders are even with her outstretched arms.
“That’s all?” Rayne teasingly asks.
“It’s as fars as my arms goes,” she informs him, as if he couldn’t figure that out for himself. I begin mercilessly laughing and soon, the sisters are joining me.
“Guess what, Hadley?” Sibley draws my daughter’s attention to her.
“What?” Hadley enthusiastically asks, her eye wide in anticipation. She’s acting as if she’s fixing to learn all of the worlds deep, dark, hidden secrets.
“You get to play with us tonight. Mom and Dad are gonna talk and we’re at your disposal. Anything you wanna do, we’re down for it,” Sibley answers.
“Mom and Dad are gonna talk?” I mimic Sibley’s words while looking at Rayne in question. “Why do Mom and Dad need to talk?”
“I’ll answer that soon,” Rayne says as he makes his way into the house, his sisters on the heels of his feet.
“Good luck,” Justine whispers in my ear on her way past me.
“Luck, why do I need luck?” I ask aloud, yet no one answers. I only get sympathetic looks from the three sisters. “Oh joy, there goes my relaxation.”
11
Jacey
Time drags by as I watch the hands slowly tick on the clock. Supper has been cooked and devoured, but I’ve been nervously watching Rayne for signs of how this talk is going to go. He’s given no signs of distress; I’m hoping that’s an omen to the fact that this talk isn’t going to tear me to emotional shreds.
I’m elbow deep in soap suds, choosing to procrastinate this talk as long as I possibly can. The dishwasher would’ve been faster, but it wouldn’t have bought me enough time to get lost in my thoughts. We aren’t technically together, so it’s not as if he could break up with me. As far as I’m aware, their tour ended, and another one isn’t set to take place for another two years. According to Rayne, he and the girls all needed a break from the back-to-back touring schedule they’ve been living the last five years.
I’m secretly happy, but worried about what could happen in that time frame and how I’ll feel when he’s back on the road and it’s Hadley and me alone again. I brush those thoughts away. There’s no use worrying about something that’s still so far away. When the time comes closer, I’ll know where our relationship is and how I’ll feel.
We could just end up friends co-parenting a child together, or we could be more, and if we do end up being together again, will I need to make the ultimate sacrifice and let my business go so I can join him on the road? Or, will I be the one who stays behind, worried constantly about what my man is doing while I’m not there?
I know for a fact that he never, not once, cheated on me, but I was always at his side. Will that be different if I’m not glued to him?
“Jacey, what’s put that soured expression on your face?” Rayne asks me as he leans his hip against the counter and gives me a skeptical, worried look.
“So damn much that I wouldn’t know where to begin explaining it to you,” I answer. I could’ve lied to him, I could’ve told him everything, but I don’t want to count my eggs before they’ve had a chance to hatch. Therefore, I’ll keep all of my future worries out of my head.
“Are you almost done here? I just put Hadley down and she’s asking for hugs and kisses from her momma.”
“Yeah, I can finish these few dishes up later,” I tell him as I grab a kitchen towel and dry off the water on my hands.
“I’ll finish these. You go say goodnight to our girl. My sisters are waiting to tell you goodbye before they leave for the evening.” They didn’t take Hadley as planned, the evening got away from us which has posteoned our previous plans for her to spend the night with her aunts.
First, I say goodnight to the girls, then I go into Hadley’s bedroom to tell her goodnight and tuck her in the way she likes to be. Once her eyes are firmly shut, I turn on her nightlight and leave her bedroom door cracked.
“She down?” Rayne asks me as I walk back into the kitchen where he’s drying the last plate.
“Yeah, I left her door cracked though. She seems a little out of sorts and had a hard time shutting her eyes.”
“Having so many people doting on her is new. It’s gonna take her a bit to adjust, I’d imagine.”
“She’s loving every minute of it, Rayne. She’s only ever really had me, so she’s feeling special and a bit spoiled.” I let loose a brief, nervous chuckle.
“You ready for our talk, Jacey?”
“Not really. I’m a bit nervous. Is it something bad, Rayne?”
“No. Is that what’s had you so jittery and jumpy tonight?”
“A little,” I lie.
“There’s no need to be worried, come on,” he says, holding his hand out for mine. “I promise, Jacey, this talk isn’t what you’re making it out to be in your head.” He all but drags me into the living room and pushes me gently down onto the couch. I fall like a bump on a log. My legs are stiff and my body is just as tight. I do not do well with these hard types of conversations. The last time he told me we needed to talk, he shattered my world and heart into tiny, irreplaceable fractured shards and
pieces.
For a long time, I compared myself to Humpty Dumpty. I sat on that wall and when I fell, it took a long time for me to put myself back together again. If it hadn’t have been for Hadley, I may still be that fractured woman struggling her way through life.
I cannot go through that again, I resolve. I need to put that wall that I had built, back up around my heart. I refuse to allow this man, the love of my life, to come back into my life and for my world to once again revolve solely around him. I need to think of myself for a change.
Rayne
I see her body stiffen as we make our way into the living room. The small progress I was making with her seems to have diminished with those small words that I stated to her. We need to talk. Jesus, I should’ve known it’d throw her back into a memory of a bad time between the two of us. A talk that irrevocably hurt the two of us.
What my mind thought back then was that we both needed some space from one another. I believed that some time apart would help us regrow and build on a new, stronger foundation.
If I’d known then what I know now, I would’ve taken the time to go on a trip; just the two of us, so we could’ve reconnected.
“This talk, it’s nothing like the one we had before. I swear to you, Jacey, I’m here now, forever, you can’t and won’t be getting rid of me,” I vow to her.
She only nods her head in acquiescence as I escort her over to the couch. She numbly sits as I take my place on the coffee table before her. “What is it you’d like to discuss with me, Rayne?” Now, she’s talking to me as if I were one of her clients instead of her daughter’s father, her man.
“Our parents,” I announce as I hear the audible sound of an anxious gulp leave her. “I think it’s time they learn about Hadley.”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing, Rayne. But I’m scared.”
Uninhibited : Savage Wilde Page 6