"Did all of what you just told Billie happen, Charlotte?" The revulsion in Harriett's shaky tone hinted at how hard she found it to contain her disgust at Charlotte's unfeeling disclosure. The directness of her question cut through the thick air of tension that existed between us. "Back away from Billie right now," she demanded through gritted teeth.
"What the hell is going on?" Ronald's low authoritative tone asked as he strode out of the great room and stopped in the hallway beside us.
"Stop," Harriett said to Ronald, holding her hand up before whipping her head back around in our direction. Fighting to contain her fury, she took a deep calming breath to maintain her composure before casting a hurt look at the girl again. "I need you to leave my home, Charlotte." Harriett's voice was measured and deliberate but with an angry undertone, and the look on Charlotte's face was one of sheer and utter shock.
"What the fuck is going on?" I heard Sawyer say as he came into view with one of his cousins. Ronald looked at his wife as if he'd never seen her so mad, and I wanted to shrivel up in a corner for having resurrected an old family feud again.
"I want her out," Harriett, said again.
"I'll go and find James," a young female bystander, said.
"No, get Carter. He can take her. Please ask James to stay. I want to speak to him later."
"It's not true, Harriett, I only said it to—"
"Quiet. Not another word," Sawyer's mom hissed in response to her protestations, as Carter, an elderly gentleman in a pristine black suit, white shirt, and black tie, came from behind the cousin sent to bring him to Harriett.
"Please, take Charlotte home," she instructed him. "And tell your parents to expect a call from me first thing in the morning," she added to her.
"Is someone going to tell me what's going on?" Ronald hissed under his breath, his glare flitting from me to Charlotte, and lastly, to his wife.
"Yes, of course, Ronnie, but a little later, if you don't mind. We have guests to attend to," his wife told him before inhaling deeply, exhaling slowly, and slipping effortlessly back into her cool, sophisticated manner. We watched as the door closed behind Charlotte, the woman who had caused an untold amount of damage to her once close family.
Without being told, the small crowd of people who had gathered in the hallway dispersed, some back to the great room, some to the entertainment tent, while I stepped back into the restroom and quietly closed the door.
Less than ten seconds later, Sawyer knocked on the bathroom door. "Billie?"
Swallowing roughly, I cracked it open and he pushed it wider. "You mind telling me what happened out there?"
"You know what, Sawyer? I'm tired of the world revolving around Charlotte. This was supposed to be our time together. Our engagement. Instead, I feel like I've stepped into a war zone, but with people who behave polite and restrained when they should be kicking the crap out of one another."
Chuckling he nodded. "In your world maybe, that would have been an honest way to handle our feelings."
"In my world? What does that mean? A world where people work for what they have instead of inheriting it? A world where us poorer people can tell someone who shafts them to fuck right off and don't let the door hit your ass on the way out? Instead of us sucking up betrayal and lies and sitting in the mess of someone else's making because it doesn't fit in with the 'family's standing'?" I ranted using air quotes.
"Calm down. What do you want me to say? Do you want me to deny the obvious differences wealth brings? There's a level of politics in these circles my parents move in that's so ridiculous I can't even begin to explain it, but it's not who I am as a person. I've never wanted to live this way. My mother and father brought all of us up to know the value of money, to live our lives with care and compassion for others, but it's still a world I was born into. Wealth carried a heavy weight of responsibility for my parents' generation."
I stood silently seething, wondering how I'd even gotten to this point: engaged to a man who was so much younger than me and far hotter than any man I'd ever known in my life, who was wealthy, and who doted on me. It all looked perfect on the outside, but my divorce appeared far less complex than the life Sawyer's family led and the continuing feud that had driven a wedge between him and his brother was far from over.
"You're right. This is all happening too quickly. I think I'll drive home to New Jersey tomorrow. I need some time to process," I stated, flatly.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning I'm an older divorced woman, and far too mature to tolerate manipulative ex-girlfriends and the shit that's gone down with her this week. Your family has been incredible in welcoming me without prejudice. However, I have no idea what I was thinking standing out there, newly engaged, while your cheating ex-girlfriend hounded you down like you were some fresh prey to be captured. Meanwhile, despite all I'd been led to believe, your brother sounded broken by his betrayal of you."
"So, what are you saying, Billie? Turn my back on the way things are done out here because you don't like it?"
"I'm saying maybe all this is happening too fast, and I don't think I have the tolerance to deal with your ex if I encounter her again. Twice now she's tried to warn me off, and I don't know that I can keep my temper in check should there be a third time."
"Do you know why my mother asked her to leave?"
"You'd have to ask her about that. And James, too. I don't even know that your brother himself knows the whole story, but your mother and I do."
"Will you stop talking cryptically and shoot straight, for Christ's sake?"
I sighed. "And when will you tell Charlotte to go fuck herself?" I spat. "Sounds to me like she's fucked everyone else," I added. "I'm going to go home tomorrow. I need time to breathe. Meanwhile, I need you to talk to James—no—I want you to listen to James. Then I need you to speak with your mom and we'll go from there."
"Go from there? What the fuck does that mean?"
"It means we're not kids who are finding our feet with dating, Sawyer. Charlotte doesn't come near you anymore. She doesn't get time to bend your ear about what you've missed out on and James deserves a hearing. From the conversation he had with me, I think no one has asked him for his side of the story, but I have, and I've seen Charlotte's true colors this evening. Worse, I saw you allowed that to happen. Was that out fear of offending anyone, or her? I have that girl pegged and I'm not diminishing James's actions toward you, but I can relate to some of what went down from the way he explained it, and my personal experience of how vindictive your ex-girlfriend is in the short time I've been here."
He blinked, shocked at how forceful I sounded. "The stuff with Charlotte is a given. That will never happen again, but James? You have no idea what I went through, only what I told you, yet you're taking his side?"
"What you say you've been through is like me telling you how old I am. It doesn't … or shouldn't matter now. The present is where we are, not the past. As for sides, that isn't up for debate. I told James I was loyal to you. However, your versions of events differ quite a lot and James has more information he's never shared with all of you. What I'm saying is, unless you and James can find peace between you, Charlotte will continue to manipulate you both, and that will directly affect us."
* * *
Shortly after Charlotte was asked to leave, Sawyer pulled me into his chest. "Did we just have our first fight? The same night we got engaged?" he asked, as most of the guests began to retire to their guesthouses or guest bedrooms leaving.
I knew we'd both said too much in the heat of the moment. "We did, but I understand your emotions were running high so I'm prepared to let it slide."
* * *
An hour later Ronald, Caitlin, and Lorna were gathered around the large kitchen table having a nightcap when we joined them. Almost everyone else had retired for the night. Harriett appeared in the doorway.
"I've asked James to join us," she said like no one should argue and took the seat next to her husband. She gestured for James to sit on an
empty chair beside her. Sawyer's back immediately stiffened, and I reached over and took his hand.
"It's important you hear this," I said quietly, thinking about the argument we'd had as James hesitantly wandered into the room.
"Take a seat, James," Harriett prompted, and I saw his hazel eyes were red-rimmed as if he'd been crying. My heart clenched at the solemn look he wore, and I couldn't help but feel for him as he did as he was asked.
"I want to start this by saying Charlotte Harrison is no longer welcome in this house," Harriett said with determination. "Now none of us need to be reminded why this family rift between James and the rest of us exists."
Glancing around at everyone, she watched as they all nodded. Sawyer bristled in his chair and I squeezed his hand again. He glanced toward me with a scowl set on his face and looked away from me when his mom spoke again.
"Good. At the time, none of us listened to James's version of events, too caught up in the whole mess of what he'd done and the pretty weeping girl on the other side of it. But I've listened and watched how Charlotte has behaved ever since, and I have no doubt a large part of the blame falls on her shoulders."
"Can you get to the point, Mom? I want to go to bed," Lorna said, sounding disinterested that we should even allow her brother his voice on the matter. Sawyer's hand gripped mine and although he'd said it hadn't mattered anymore, it did.
"Go ahead, James, I want you to tell them what you told me tonight," Harriett prompted.
"And me," I added. Ronald gave me a puzzled look. "He told me too," I explained, and Harriett smiled that I'd backed her up.
James wrung his hands, his forearms leaning on the table, and a sad, worried expression on his face. Inhaling deeply, he blew out a breath, a hurt look in his eyes as he scanned around each of us, probably looking for a friendly face to focus on. When he reached mine, he let it linger there and began to talk.
As he relayed some of his story, the part about Charlotte being pregnant, I saw Caitlin shift uneasily on her chair before Lorna did the same.
Ronald sat with a stoic look on his face, absorbing what James told them. Sawyer's body language was the most interesting as his stiffened frame thawed a little, his muscles losing a lot of their tension as anger dissipated from within.
When James had finished, he turned to Sawyer, his hands clasped in front of him like he was begging and apologizing for hurting him. Harriett shed a tear and when I looked at Lorna her eyes were full to the brim as well.
After a few moments of silence, Sawyer cleared his throat. "So you only continued after that day because she was pregnant?"
"Yeah, well there was a lot more to it than what I've said, but that's the gist of it," James answered gruffly, before clearing his throat as well.
"There's more to this," Harriett said, interrupting the tense moment when Sawyer realized James hadn't intended on continuing the affair.
"More?" Sawyer asked, his muscles bunching again at the shoulders.
"In Charlotte's attempt to break the two of you up, she challenged Billie again, except this time her loose tongue wagged a little too eagerly. She told Billie she didn't miscarry as James had been led to believe. She'd had the baby terminated. James has been with her all this time punishing himself for getting her pregnant and thinking she'd lost their baby. I overheard the conversation between Charlotte and Billie, and that's when I got to the truth of the matter and threw her out of the house. James has only learned about this from me this evening. He had no idea what Charlotte had done."
Ronald sat silently and shook his head, while Caitlin got up and apologized to Sawyer before hugging James tightly. I felt she'd accepted although he'd done a bad thing it wasn't as straightforward as she thought, and he was still her brother. Despite the hurt he'd endured, Sawyer pushed past it and swallowed roughly.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know this. Anyway, Billie and I are happy, and I guess in some weird as fuck way I have you and Charlotte to thank for that. I guess in time I'll learn to forgive you," he said, and as the words hung in the air, James shot out of the chair, knocking it to the floor, and engulfed Sawyer in a bear hug. Sawyer remained stiff and didn't hug him back.
"Fuck, I've missed you," James said before realizing all was not quite forgotten and broke away from him again, wiping tears from his eyes with his tuxedo sleeve.
"I'm sorry I didn't allow you to voice your side at the time," Ronald stated, shaking his head. "Your mom is right. I don't care whether Violet and Gregory have issues with us or how they deal with them. This time, they should be held to account for their daughter's behavior."
"Terminating our grandchild for the reason she stated is abhorrent and she is banned from setting foot in this house," Harriett ordered. "James, my son, you are welcome here anytime you like. I know there are still bridges to be mended between you and your brother. I'm not so naïve as to think Sawyer's benevolent ways stretch to a new wave of trust. That will need to be earned."
James inhaled deeply and blew out a breath. "I know this. All I want is a chance to make things right for Sawyer." He turned to Sawyer. "You don't know what it means to me to see you happy again. Maybe one day you'll let me explain the whole truth of what happened."
Sawyer didn’t reply and I took this to mean he needed time to process what he had learned. I figured he was level headed and I felt confident that in time he'd find some comfortable status to his relationship with his brother again, even if it was in the future.
"When I'm ready," Sawyer agreed, throwing hope at his brother. I smiled my approval toward my boyfriend because I felt until this was settled to Sawyer's satisfaction it would continue to rumble in the background, and as it was linked to Charlotte, that would also affect me.
"Anytime," James confirmed and nodded.
Meanwhile, I'd made Sawyer aware of my feelings toward her. At least he learned how cunning his ex-girlfriend had been by keeping his brother close to gain access to her ex-boyfriend. In the end, I wasn't sorry she'd targeted me because the truth had come out.
Furthermore, I was surprised at how one frank conversation between Sawyer and his family had settled any anxieties I'd had about marrying him. The last thing I had wanted was to set conditions between Sawyer and me with our upcoming marriage. I could say I had no reservations about taking on a man of Sawyer's age with confidence and surety.
The new year had begun with confrontation, which had led to an honest, productive conversation. Because of this, I looked forward to the new year with hope and anticipation of a wonderful time ahead with the man I loved.
The last stumbling blocks in the way to my new future were how to break my exciting news to my cheating ex-husband and tell our beautiful son that our lives were about to change for the better in next to no time.
End of Part ONE
If you enjoyed Billie's journey look out for Dare Me, Part two Sawyer and Billie. This book is a continuation of the story from Sawyer's point of view.
Acknowledgments
Editor Rebecca Pruner Kimmel
Editor Karen Hrdlicka
Proof Sue Noyes
Cover Design JM Walker, Just Write Creations
Cover picture Deposit Photo
About the Author
Writing came relatively late in life for KL after a challenge by a friend led to The Everything Trilogy. She loves creating new characters and storylines. KL has worked in the health and social care sector for most of her adult life, so to have the opportunity to step out of serious roles and create colourful characters is very rewarding. She enjoys where they take her, and each character has his or her own voice. KL doesn't use prepared outlines for her stories, preferring the characters to take their own direction as the story progresses.
Also by K.L. Shandwick
The Everything Trilogy
Enough Isn’t Everything
Everything She Needs
Everything I Want
Love With Every Beat
just Jack
Everything Is Yours
Last Score Series
Gibson’s Legacy
Trusting Gibson
Gibson’s Melody
Piper
Ready for Flynn Series
Ready For Flynn, Part 1
Ready For Flynn, Part 2
Ready For Flynn, Part 3
Other novels
Missing Beats
Notes on Love
Free To Breathe
Another Life
DARE You, Dare Duet, Part One: Billie and Sawyer: Unchained Attraction Series Page 29