Until Cece

by KD Robichaux

  “I’m happy for you.” I reach for her hand then pull her into a hug, relieved we’re finally past all the heavy. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, and you should know that no matter what happens, I will always be here for you and the girls.”

  “I know.” I give her a squeeze then let her go. “Now that we’ve talked, I’m going to bed, since I need to get up early.”

  “What time do you have to get up?”

  “I’m setting my alarm for 6:30. That way I can shower before I need to leave the house.”

  “Just think, if Mike were dropping them off, you wouldn’t have to get up so early, and we could go out to breakfast, which we haven’t done in forever.”

  “I know, I know, and like I said, I’ll talk to him tomorrow.” And I will.

  “Night.” She laughs.

  “Yeah, night,” I tell her, and make my way down the hall to the guest bedroom.

  27

  Winston

  I’m officially obsessed. There’s no other word for the feelings I have inside me for Cece. It’s been a couple days since the incident at Talon’s, and I can’t sleep, I can barely eat, and all I can think about is her. Something inside me snapped when I found out her house was being destroyed while she sat right there in my own damn restaurant, and it makes me wonder what would have happened if she hadn’t come to dinner that night. Would she have been home when they broke in? Her sister was probably out with Talon, since they weren’t at dinner with Cece and her parents. What if her mom and Chaz had gone out to eat without her? She would’ve been home alone when they came barreling in. She could’ve been hurt—or worse.

  So many what ifs have gone through my mind on repeat, and they’re always followed up with thoughts of how I need to be with her, how I need to protect her at all costs.

  When I found her at Talon’s the other day, I was a madman. No other way to describe it. I wasn’t in my right mind, fresh off the discovery of what happened to her beautiful home, thinking about that being added to everything else she’s been going through. Hasn’t she been through enough? I just want to take care of her. I would give anything to take away all her burdens and… and… and spoil her, give her everything she’s ever wanted.

  I would lavish her with my love for her, to the point she would never doubt how much I care about her, how she’d come first in my life, right up there with my son. And that would extend to her girls too. God, my heart aches for what could be. My boy and three little girls to fill my big, empty house with laughter and love. All I’ve ever wanted in life besides being a chef and own my own restaurant was to have a big, happy family. Being an only child, I’ve always wanted Nick to have a sibling, so he wouldn’t have to grow up feeling the loneliness I did a lot of the time. But there was no way in fuck I was going to have another one with Corina.

  I’m to the point now that I’m actually considering what Steph suggested a while back. What is Corina up to? Surely, she doesn’t work as much as she claims. And really, how many people around here need a full-time stylist? I could maybe understand if she had made a name for herself and we lived in Nashville, where plenty of celebrities were, but no. She didn’t, and we’re not. So why has she had her parents take care of our son so much all these years, and even more than usual these past several months?

  Or maybe I’m just so desperate to be free of her that I’m making up shit in my head.

  Either way, I can’t go three more years living like this. Not when there’s a woman out there who’s meant to be mine. I feel it in my very soul that we’re meant to be together, some star-crossed lovers shit that I would’ve rolled my eyes at a year ago. The timing is just… terrible.

  So I decide right then and there I’m going to talk to my lawyer. Even with the prenup in place, there has to be a way to get out of this sham of a marriage and not lose everything. There just has to be. Even if it’s a hefty settlement where I’d have to give up half of all my belongings, it would be worth it in the end. Hell, I’d give up everything if it meant I could have Cece, but I know that would devastate her, and she carries enough on her shoulders to feel guilty about that.

  But whatever I do, it needs to happen quickly. I feel Cece slipping from between my fingers, and I can’t let her truly give up on us. I know she’s distanced herself from me, but I could see in her eyes at Talon’s house that she was having to force herself to push me away. She wanted me just as badly as I wanted her, but with Talon and Mia there witnessing my meltdown, and then her mom and stepdad joining the audience, I could tell she was trying to hide from them everything she feels for me. And I can’t say I blame her. After everything her mom went through, there’s no way in hell she wouldn’t give Cece shit if she admitted she had feelings for a married man. She’d categorize the woman I love the same way she did the woman her first husband slept with—his mistress, a whore of a homewrecker. The same way I’m sure Cece herself thought about the woman Mike slept with at work. There’s no way whoever it was didn’t know he was married if they worked together every day, yet she slept with him anyway, knowing he had a wife and kids at home.

  Cece knows I’m still legally married, and that’s all her mom would care about. So I understand why she pushed me away in front of her. But her eyes told me another story. Her eyes begged me to not give up on her. Her eyes pleaded for me to find a way to fix this. And I don’t know how, but it’s now my life’s mission to do just that.

  28

  Cece

  I finally have time to catch up with my sister. She and I both got busy, her with work and me dealing with the house and other things. A realtor came to check out the house yesterday and start the paperwork to sell it, and he told me the break-in might have been a blessing, because fresh paint and updates always help with a quick sale. The girls and I have been staying at the house Mom and Chaz rented for the week, and tonight will be our first night back in our home.

  “So how did it go?” Mia asks me by way of greeting when she answers my call.

  “It went all right,” I say, my voice portraying how tired I am. It’s been a long-ass day.

  “Just all right?” she prompts.

  “Well, he was defensive when I brought up the amount of time he spends with the girls, and he threw it in my face that he has to work to pay all the bills.”

  “Seriously?” She sounds annoyed, and I don’t blame her.

  “Are you really surprised by that?” I sigh. “I told him that I have to work too and that if it weren’t for you being here, I don’t know what I would do.”

  “You would have made it work,” she tells me gently but adamantly, yet I shake my head, even though she can’t see me. She’s wrong. I would’ve been lost without her.

  “I wouldn’t have, Mia, and you and I both know I was drowning, and he didn’t even notice.” My chin wobbles, thinking about my own husband not giving a shit about me. I’m better off without him. What I wouldn’t give to have a man who puts me before anything else, who actually cares about me and my feelings. A man like Winston.

  I shake my head at that, knowing I can’t be thinking about the man I love but can’t have.

  “Please don’t cry.” She must hear the emotions I’m trying so desperately to hold back.

  “I’m not going to cry. The girls and I are in a good spot, and with me getting a new job and the house going on the market soon, we will be even better off,” I say, holding my breath and waiting for her response to that little tidbit of news.

  “New job?” I hear the surprise in her tone.

  “This afternoon, I applied at a café in town, and they offered me a job. The pay is a little less than I was making at Winston’s, but with tips, it should even out. And it’s days, so I’ll be home with the girls in the evenings, and I can just move my online classes to nights and do my schoolwork while they’re in bed.”

  “Cece, you don’t have to—”

  I interrupt her, trying to keep the fire lit under my ass that I’ve felt since our conversation
in Talon’s kitchen. “Mia, I love you, and I’m so thankful for you. But honestly, I can’t expect you to help me until I finish school. I know you’re not moving with us into the apartment, so it wouldn’t be fair of me to expect you to take care of my girls when they have two parents that are capable of looking after them.” I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You were right about Mike. He needs to start doing his part, and I’m going to start holding him accountable, because the girls and I both deserve that from him.”

  “Still, I want you to know I’m here no matter what, even if I’m not living with you,” she replies, and I wonder what she plans to do, whether she’s going to find her own place like she originally planned, or if she’ll move in with her boyfriend, since she’s been staying the night there this whole week.

  “I know that,” I assure her. “But I want… no, I need to do this. I need to know I can take care of my girls. I want them to see their parents, even if they aren’t together, putting their differences aside to make sure they’re happy.”

  “I want that for you all too.”

  “I know you do, and even if the conversation started off on a bad note, Mike did end up agreeing that he would try to be around more. So now, all I can do is wait to see what happens with him.”

  “Does Winston know you’re quitting?” she asks carefully, and just the mention of his name sends my heart into overdrive.

  I close my eyes, remembering the look on his face when I told him I would be looking for a new job. “Yeah, and he understands, even if he doesn’t like it. And honestly, I couldn’t work there and see him every day. There’s just too much that’s happened between us.”

  “I get that, Cece, and I really think it’s healthier for you that you don’t work there anymore.”

  “I know. I’m just going to miss seeing him,” I admit, forcing myself to open up.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispers, and I hear her sincerity clear as day.

  “Me too,” I murmur. “What’s your plan for tomorrow evening? Mom was asking about getting together for dinner with you and Talon.”

  “Umm… Talon just got home. Let me ask him.”

  “What’s up?” I hear him in the background, and after a silent moment, he prompts, “Babe.”

  “Right. My parents are wondering if we can all get together for dinner tomorrow evening,” she says.

  “Sure,” he replies, and I can’t see what’s happening, but she must be distracted, because he has to snap her out of it once more. “Mia.”

  “Hmm?” she hums, and I stifle a giggle. She is totally smitten, and it’s adorable.

  “Never mind.” His voice gets louder as he apparently takes the phone away from my sister. “Cece, yeah, dinner tomorrow works. How about you and your parents meet us here around five, and I’ll throw something on the grill?”

  “That sounds perfect,” I reply, looking forward to it.

  “Cool. See you then.”

  “Oh, I’ll bring a dessert or something, okay?” I add. “And tell Mia I said goodnight. I’m gonna let you go.”

  “Yeah. All right, have a good night, and sure, I’ll tell Mia you said that. Your sister said goodnight.”

  I disconnect the call, shaking my head with a smile on my face, happy for the two of them. No one deserves happiness more in this world than Mia, and for her to have found a man as worthy of her as Talon makes me so thrilled for her. And it’s with only a little bit of jealousy I go to get ready for bed.

  “Mia was telling Chaz and me about the house you’re building. We’d love to see it this week if you have time,” Mom says to Talon the next evening, picking up her wine glass. We’re all at the table on his back deck, our empty dishes from dinner spread out between us from our salmon, baked potatoes, and corn Mia fixed for us. Even my three girls finished all their food it was so good.

  “Just let me know when,” Talon replies as he rests his arm on the back of Mia’s chair.

  “Do you know what you’re planning on pricing it at?” she asks him, and Mia bristles.

  “Mom.”

  “What?” She frowns at her. “Chaz and I have been talking, and we’re thinking about moving here.”

  “What?” Mia gasps, and I feel my own eyes widen at the thought. She’s lived in Montana her whole life, and so has Chaz, so it’s hard to believe they would move. And not only that, but Chaz has a well-established law practice there, and I don’t see him retiring anytime soon, even though he’s almost seventy.

  “Chaz is planning on retiring in the next couple of years, and we’ve fallen in love with this area and are talking about finding a place here,” Mom explains.

  “Really?” I look at Chaz.

  “We want to be closer to all our girls,” he says, his face soft as he looks between me, Mia, Ruby, Lola, and Kate.

  “I wouldn’t be upset about that,” Mia tells him.

  “Me neither,” I agree, asking the girls, “How happy would you guys be if Grandma and Grandpa moved here?

  “So happy.” Lola grins.

  “So, so happy,” Kate says, always wanting to one-up her sister however she can.

  “Can I go play with the kittens?” Ruby asks, bouncing in her seat and making us all laugh.

  “Yeah, go on. Just be gentle with them,” I tell her, and her sisters follow her inside. When the door closes behind them, I look and point at Talon. “Just so you know, I will kill you if you offer my girls one of those kittens.”

  “Oh, that’s a good idea. You can have two, and that way they will still be able to play with each other,” Mia chirps unhelpfully, and I glare at her. “You have to admit they’re cute, and you haven’t had any kind of allergic reaction to them.” She’s referring to the time we spent the night at our friend’s house when we were little and I broke out in hives. We thought it was their family cat at the time.

  “No.” I shake my head. The last thing I need to add to my plate are furbabies.

  “You can’t stop me from giving them a gift.” She shrugs, smiling when Talon laughs and kisses the side of her head.

  “See? This is what we don’t want to miss,” Mom says, and I look at her. “And just think, honey, if we get a place here, I’ll be around a lot more and will be able to help you plan your wedding.”

  “Mom,” Mia groans, covering her face.

  “What?”

  “Talon and I—”

  “Your daughter has to agree to marry me before you two start planning a wedding,” Talon cuts her off, and she turns to glare at him.

  “Don’t encourage her.”

  “Why? I did ask you,” Talon says, and my brows shoot to my hairline.

  “No, you didn’t,” she argues, and then her eyes widen as he grins. “That didn’t count!”

  I laugh, kind of catching the drift that it might’ve been in the heat of a very physically pleasurable moment that he popped the question.

  “Anyway, we just got together. It’s gonna be awhile before any of that happens.” Mia takes a sip of her iced tea.

  “So you’re not going to move in here when Cece gets her apartment?” Chaz asks, putting her on the spot, and I fight a smile, pulling my lips between my teeth.

  “Well….” Mia looks around, her eyes landing on me as if to ask for my help. I just shake my head and shrug. Payback for the kittens.

  “We’re going to take it one day at a time,” Talon says, giving Mia’s shoulder a squeeze. “Mia knows I want her here with me, but I’m not going to pressure her if she’s not ready.”

  “Is Bax single?” Mom blurts, looking at Talon like he hung the moon and stars.

  “Mom,” I snap, knowing exactly where she’s going with that question. Heat crawls up my neck, and my gut clenches, acknowledging there’s only one man on this entire planet I want.

  “What?” Mom drawls. “He’s very handsome, is obviously a hard worker, and he’s Talon’s brother, so they’re probably a lot alike.”

  Just the thought of someone trying to set me up with anyone wh
o isn’t Winston makes me nauseous. At this point, I can’t even fathom being with anyone else, even though I can’t have him. “Just stop, Mom.” I push away from the table to stand and start for the door, saying over my shoulder, “I’m gonna go check on my girls.”

  29

  Winston

  “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” I say a week later, gripping the file folder in my hands as I look down at the eight-by-ten black and white photos of Corina getting hot and heavy with a man in a big white truck. The next photo, she’s at dinner with him, somewhere I don’t recognize.

  “Had to follow them all the way to Nashville for that one,” Justin, a private investigator referred to me by Asher Mayson, states as I flip to another one of them at dinner. “If they go anywhere in public, it’s out of town, presumably so no one recognizes her. She wouldn’t want it to get back to you, obviously. But the rest are taken at the man’s residence or while he’s on his lunch break, where they go somewhere private—or so they believed.”

  There’s photo after photo of Corina and this man, and since I hired Justin only five days ago, after my lawyer said my prenup was ironclad, that means she has to see him every single day in order for him to have taken all these photos in so many places. And they look pretty cozy, as if it’s been going on for a while.

  As if he read my mind, Justin says, “Their calls and messages started over a year ago. All of it is documented in the file I gave you. There is more than enough proof to show a judge that she is in fact having an affair. Your prenup will be null and void.”

  I sit back in my chair so roughly it knocks the wind out of me. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” I repeat, shaking my head.

  If only I had listened to Steph sooner, hired a PI when she suggested it all those weeks ago. Hell, she’d been suspicious of Corina several times over the years. Who knows how long I could’ve been through with this fucked-up situation if I hadn’t stuck my head in the sand, trying to just get through it like a good little soldier?