Allie Chapter 5

(Chapter 5)Chances

Chapter 5

 

            Wildflower did not want to go to lunch with her mother-in-law at all. Usually she barely wanted to have lunch with her own mother that loved her. Rosa hated her passionately. At least after this she could go shopping and use retail therapy to cheer herself up. Of course she couldn’t shop long and she had to be very careful. Maybe it was selfish of her to go out but she needed to or this baby was going to have a crazy mother. And as someone with a bipolar mother who often went off her meds, she knew some crazy habits. That got her thinking that maybe Rosa needed to be medicated, she needed some happy pills than maybe she wouldn’t be such a b***h.

            The doctor told Wildflower that she shouldn’t where heels because of her condition and something could happen. Since she had a soft spot for stiletto boots she hated not wearing them. Instead she put on her black Converses with jeans and a yellow cami and a sweater. It was not that chilly out but Nicolas worried a lot more these days. He had to do some work thing, conveniently, so she was going it alone. Part of her wanted to stash a kitchen knife in her purse but she resisted the temptation. She did however dig through her bag to make sure her credit cards were in her wallet. Not that she really needed more than one but this was her husband’s doing. How many limitless cards did one person need? Then she had two debit cards, one for the account she shared with Nicolas and the other for her old account she never got around to closing. There was actually a good bit of money in her account from her old job; she didn’t have to spend her own money once she moved in with Nicolas. Maybe she wouldn’t close the account; it was always good to have insurance, just in case something went wrong.

            Nicolas dropped her off at some snobby looking restaurant; it definitely wasn’t a jeans and Converse type of place. She wasn’t ashamed of what she was wearing, she had her head held high and walked through the place like she owned it. The thing about Caprianis was that if the sensed weakness they would attack. Being in this family was like going on a safari and getting up close and personal with predators. Her curly ponytail bounced around while she walked and the host showed her over to the table Rosa was already at. Wildflower took a seat across from the lioness in expensive clothing. She pulled off her sunglasses and slipped them into her favorite LAO bag that Carmen gave her. Carmen had her own fashion line; it was handy to have a sister-in-law that sent you free clothes and such.

            “Hi,” Wildflower greeted pleasantly.

            “It is nice to see you well,” Rosa said. Was that actually a smile?

            “Thanks,” she replied. “So why don’t we just get to the reason you felt the need to fly halfway around the world to see someone you hate.”

            “Of course you would question my motives,” Rosa said and actually laughed. “My son is very important to me and you are all he cares about, I was surprised by this when we first met. Everything that happened following that day was a result of that shock.” She said carefully and emotionlessly. Caprianis were good at strategy too.

            “Are you trying to apologize?” Wildflower asked before sipping her water.

            “Yes I am, my behavior was appalling and it was wrong for me to assume that your intentions weren’t pure,” Rosa said.

            Rosa grew up a privileged girl in Spain, until her wealthy parents died and she was sent to live with a relative in New York. She met Emilio when she was 16, he was in college and she was a young socialite. They were married a year after they met and baby Delanoz followed soon. All her life she was a bit spoiled and got everything she wanted.  Until of course she wanted to get rid of Wildflower. Now here she sat after years of trying to control the relationships and lives of her five children. She was the picture of sophistication with her black grey streaked hair in a tight no non-sense updo. And she was dressed head to toe in Prada. Her fair skin was flawless, though Carmen had said it wasn’t from plastic surgery or botox, she was just naturally a beauty. Allie had insisted that her grandmother was too mean to have wrinkles and her skin was afraid of her.

            “Nicky never had girlfriends, not like how the others had an endless stream of relationships. He was the driven devoted one, was interested in business and science since he was 5 years old. Always such a sweet angel, his grandmother adored him and they spent a lot of time together. Her death nearly killed him, but then there he was off again proving that nothing could ever slow him down. Until you of course, he’s taken more days away from work since he met you than he did ever in his life. There is just something about you that has him behaving like a completely different person,” Rosa told her. She paused when the waiter brought their salads.

            “So what you think I’m distracting him?” Wildflower asked.

            “Well yes but you’ve done some good as well. After America passed on he was so cold and he worked constantly some times he would be up for days at the office. Then he moved out of the house and pretty much swore he would never live there again. Only a year ago Carmen convinced him to at least stay in the summer,” she paused. “So you can understand why I was surprised to find you with him in the house. And well you look younger than you are. With Delanoz the way he is sometimes I do not know what to expect from my other children.”

            “You didn’t have to assume I was with him for his money,” Wildflower pointed out. That got her an odd look from Rosa.

            “Yes I did, I married Emilio for money and security. And well at that point he had already spent so much money on you and your family it was cause for concern.”

            “I never asked him for anything, you should know that nobody tells Nick what to do. He wanted to buy things even when I told him no.”

            “Do you not think of the future? What your plans are if this marriage doesn’t work out? You are 23, unemployed and pregnant, does that ever concern you?” Rosa asked and she considered her a moment.

            “I have taken care of myself before and I can do it again, I don’t need Nick’s money. Trust me when I say I’ve lived with nothing and I still lived,” Wildflower said.

            “It will not surprise you but I have looked into your background, it intrigues me. Your oldest brother dropped out of school to work after your father died, your mother was ill for an extended period of time. You have lived literally with nothing; honestly I don’t know how you are still alive. Taking care of your younger brothers since you were 7 years old, it’s not something you ever think to hear about. Yet somehow you manage to meet my son by chance and everything changes for your family. Nicky has invested a lot of money into your family, buying a house for your mother and brothers and replacing things lost in the fire at her home. He not only allows three of your younger brothers to live in his home he also pays their tuition at Saint Ivy Academy. You also have two of my granddaughters in your care. Does none of this seem suspicious?” Rosa asked, there was a sort of evil glint in her eyes.

            “Yes we have the kids living with us; my mother is having problems and its best for my brothers. As for Sammie and Allie, you very well know that their mothers aren’t what’s best for them right now. All of them needed a stable home and that is what we are giving them. I will not apologize for that, I would do anything for them and obviously Nick agrees,” she paused. “What he chooses to do with his money isn’t exactly your concern, you are his mother not his accountant. And as I’ve told you before I would love him even if he had nothing, I had no idea who he was when I met him. Just because you married for money and so you could keep up your expensive lifestyle doesn’t mean everybody else does.”

            For a moment Rosa said nothing, just stared at her. Wildflower wasn’t going to back down, she was telling the truth. When she met him she was half drunk and he didn’t give a last name. They just went back to his hotel room and all of this started, they didn’t even have sex. It didn’t surprise her that Rosa married for money, but she didn’t. Yes it occurred to her that if she wasn’t with Nicolas she definitely wouldn’t be in L.A. plotting a shopping trip. She use to save up money to buy things for her little brothers. Her life was never easy but her family would have survived after the fire even if Saint Nicolas didn’t step in to help. Money made things easier, she couldn’t deny that but she’d made it most her life with no money. Besides if she ever found a reason for divorce she could just take him for all he was worth. But she would rather have the man she loved than money. Maybe Rosa would get that if she took two seconds out of being a prissy snob.

“Since you are carrying Nicky’s first child I wanted things between the two of us to be civil at least,” Rosa said. “I admire you; I could never have done the things you have done.” Was that a compliment? It was a miracle or hell was freezing over, something like that.

            “I didn’t get a choice,” she replied. “Um anyway I don’t want to keep fighting with you, but I’m not going stop loving your son either. I love him and even you can admit that he’s happy now. If you could have seen the look on his face when he read the pregnancy test, he was so happy.”

            “He is different, happy with you, I see that. I was there with him when heard your baby’s heart beat for the first time. Until then I never even knew he wanted a child, I just assumed you got yourself pregnant to keep him.”

            “I wanted this for Nick, if I didn’t know how much he wanted a child of his own I wouldn’t be pregnant,” she admitted.

            “When I met Emilio it was not by chance, I knew who he was and I was determined for him to want me. I had money but it wasn’t going to last forever so I did what I had to. He wasn’t that much older than me, young and charismatic and full of life. At the time he was enrolled at Columbia University, he wanted to get away from his family for awhile and live his life. I admired him and with his family’s business and with him being the oldest son, I knew he was the one,” Rosa told her. “Once we met and spent some time together he confessed that he had a fiancé back home, some girl from high school that his parents approved of. But as you see I won and he married me. Of course unlike with you I had to sign an agreement, they were generous in what they saw my worth as. America didn’t exactly like me much, she saw through me. Delanoz was insurance and then Katrina came along, by then I loved Emilio. We had some good years, three more children and eventually we grew apart because work was most important.”

            “Rosa, I am not having this baby for any type of insurance for my future. I did not seek out your son, but I do love him.”

            “Funny, I can almost believe that,” Rosa shook her head. “Well what are your plans now since you are married and pregnant?”

            “Well once I am not longer restricted I plan to do some volunteer work but beyond that I don’t know,” she shrugged.

            “You are a Capriani now; you should be out getting to know other women in your social circle. I have spoken with Katrina and when you are allowed out she will take you out more. You have attended only one function and you spend most of your time with children. It is important for you to get yourself out there and to be known,” Rosa informed. The rest of the lunch actually involved little argument, this was a start.

 

 

            “Oh God how I love you,” Allie said then kissed him.

            “I love you too,” Tony replied. They were both sweaty and naked and completely blissful after the best sex they ever had. To get some privacy they barricaded the door with a chair so they wouldn’t be interrupted.

            “What’s gotten into you today? I’m usually seducing you,” she said.

            “I was horny yesterday when I came home, but ya know.”

            “Yeah,” she whispered laying her head on his chest.

            Yesterday he had a fight with his a*s of a brother and that was only the beginning of his problems. He came home to find out that Ivan was texting Allie trying to lure her over to his place. Which caused the two of them to have a bit of a disagreement. And then to round off his bad day, she told him that she took a pregnancy test earlier that day. After that conversation he couldn’t look at her for awhile. They were 17 and he had plans for his future that did not involve a baby. Even though she said she took a few tests and they were all negative it still pissed him off.

            All those times she said it would be fine without a condom came to mind. And he had listened to her every time. She was upset yesterday and he knew it but he couldn’t deal with her. Part of him was thinking that if the test was negative why would she bother telling him? Yeah, he was big on honesty and trust but he would have been happier not knowing. Then he had to wonder if she was lying to him and she was pregnant but since he reacted badly, she was going to do something stupid. So after spending some time apart so that he could think, he got her to come to his room so they could talk. As far as he could tell she wasn’t lying and Sammie swore to him that Allie wasn’t pregnant.

            After all that it was probably stupid to be having sex, it should have put him off it for awhile. But there was just something about Allie; every time he was near her he wanted her. She was an addiction, an obsession and she had this effect on almost every guy she came in contact with. Maybe a little of it had been proving to himself that she was his and his brother couldn’t have her. That just wasn’t something he was going to admit to himself. A lot of things went through his mind last night while she laid in his bed and he held her. Sometimes he thought about things way too much.

            Mostly he wondered what he would have done if she really had been pregnant. A baby was not in his plans and Ricky would slaughter him. He was supposed to be levelheaded and focus. More than a few times his brother told him that Allie was too much of a distraction, some times it was true. But a baby? His sister was pregnant right now it would only make this family more dysfunctional for Allie to be pregnant with her. Especially since Allie liked to call Wildflower “mommy”. He did not want a baby but it didn’t really have to change things that much. It wasn’t like his sister was going to throw them out or anything. They lived in a mansion complete with a huge pool, a basketball court, horse stables and a riding trail. The house had different wings; he never thought he would be in a house like this. Then his sister went off and found herself a rich man by accident, only Wildflower could have something like that happen to her. She was a loving person and there was no way she wouldn’t be helpful if the test was positive. Even his mother took Christina in when her parents threw her out for getting pregnant by Isaiah. And his mother wasn’t exactly the nicest person there was.

            None of it really mattered because he did not want or need a child. Didn’t he deserve to try to live life as a teenager? That was why his sister was keeping them there; she wanted them all to have normal lives. Though nothing about their living arrangements were normal. He lived in the same house as his girlfriend, and her brother was staying there too for awhile. There were no locks on their doors, not that it stopped them from being together but it was their fault. And there was the fact that nobody was naïve enough to believe that they weren’t having sex. In Sammie and Evan’s case everybody knew they weren’t having sex. Jay and Brooke were living in the house for awhile and volunteered to “baby-sit” while the newlyweds were on their honeymoon. To top off the oddness of this house, there were security cameras in every room in the house. Though at least the cameras were outside of the bedroom and bathroom doors to give the illusion of tiny bit of privacy.

            “Allie, I want you to know that if it turned out the other way I would still love you and be there for you,” he told her. “I don’t want you to think you would be alone.”

            “I know,” she whispered. “I was so scared and  Sam said I should tell you either way because it was the right thing to do. The way you looked at me, I didn’t think you would want to talk to me again and definitely not have sex.”

            “I’m sorry, yesterday was just a bad day,” he said kissing her forehead. Before either of them could say anything someone knocked on the door.

            “Why can’t we just have one moment to ourselves?” Allie asked while he was pulling on a pair of shorts.

            “One day we will,” he replied. He pushed the chair aside and opened the door a crack so whoever was out there wouldn’t see Allie in the bed. Nobody ever forbade them from having sex, but it was just easier this way. Though he hadn’t expected it to be Ivan outside the door.

            “Before you say anything I came to apologize,” Ivan said surprising him.

            “Really?”

            “Yes, I behaved childishly and for that I am sorry.”

            “Did Ricky put you up to this?”

            “No, I didn’t tell him about of conversation.”

            “Neither did I,” Tony said. “Ok, well thanks for the apology.”

            “She’s in there, right?” Ivan asked looking amused. “Tell her I’m sorry about the text and it won’t happen again. See ya later.” At that he walked off leaving Tony stand there stunned. It took him a minute to collect himself and closed the door.

            “Did I hear that right? Ivan apologized?” Allie asked and he nodded absently.

            “I’m pretty sure he’s never apologized for anything,” Tony said. He sat down on the bed still shocked. Either Ivan had decided to grow up and be a real man or he was up to something. Tony hoped it was the former and not the latter; it would make life a little easier. Then again when was his life ever easy?

 

 

            Jasmine smiled when she entered her old bedroom. Jose was lying in the bed asleep with Joseph asleep on his chest. They made a beautiful picture, so she quietly searched for her phone to take a picture. It was nice to see how wonderfully her two men got along. Joseph loved his father; it was obvious he didn’t take to strangers easily. But from the moment they laid eyes on each other it was like magic. It almost seemed like Joseph just knew that was his daddy. She had been telling him about his father since before he was born. Thinking about that made her regret her decision to keep her pregnancy a secret from Jose, it was wrong and she felt awful about it.

            In the past her relationship with Jose was easy and fun and she loved it. Now some days he seemed to genuinely hate her. That of course was her fault; it was too much for him. One day she’s telling him he has a son and then there she was telling him that Joseph might not be his. It was cruel and she knew it should never have happened but it unfortunately did. All this could have been avoided if she just told him she was pregnant in the first place. She found out after their trip to Greece, which had seriously been the best vacation ever. Obviously it was a good place to conceive a child. When she was ready to call Jose and tell him that he was going to be a father she saw him on the cover of a magazine in the grocery store. He was dating some actress; it was only a month since they had been together. One of the magazines alleged that he had proposed to that bottle blonde air head. How was she supposed to tell him she was pregnant when he moved on?

            She always knew he wasn’t going to wait around forever but she didn’t expect it to be so soon. So she didn’t call, and convinced herself it was the right thing to do. Yet as her brother pointed out she cried herself to sleep almost every night. By the time the headlines where about the actress’ violence towards Jose and how she bricked his car, she couldn’t do it. And it wasn’t like he was calling her like he use to. One night she did manage to call him, but some woman picked up the phone. He called back and left a message apologizing saying he was at a friend’s house and left his phone lying around. The next day he called again but she didn’t answer. Then he was off with another bimbo.

            That was all in the past now, they were finally together. At least she knew he didn’t propose to anyone else. Jose only wanted to marry her and he wanted to be a father to their son. The last few weeks were sort of a mess and her parents were driving her crazy. They wanted to know why she was going to marry Jose now if he asked her repeatedly for two years to marry him. She’d be lying if she didn’t say that Joseph was a part of it, he needed to be with his father. But before she wasn’t ready to restrict her life and get married she loved her freedom. Now she had a child and that changed everything.

            She sat at the bottom of the bed watching them sleep. Soon they would be going back to their new home and she was going to be his wife. It was going to be a huge adjustment but it was worth it. Watching them made everything worth it, she had what she wanted. Her family was just going to have to get use to it; Jose wasn’t as bad as they thought he was. If they only knew the things she’d done, but Jose knew her secrets and still loved her. Just a couple more days and they would be home and away from here. Jasmine was not a small town girl, she’d outgrown this place ages ago but always ended up stuck here. Jose stirred when there was some commotion downstairs, before she could get up from the bed the door to her room opened. She did not expect to see Oliver.

            “That my kid?” Oliver asked when he entered the room.

            “I told you that he isn’t yours,” Jasmine said annoyed. Her mother and sister Holly were in the hall looking concerned.

            “Oh cause I believe some test your meal ticket had cooked up in his own damn lab? I’m sick of your lies and your stalling,” Oliver said angrily.

            “Shut up,” Jose said with his eyes still closed. “You’re going to wake Joseph.”

            “Give me my kid then,” Oliver said. “I should have known what you were up to Jasmine. Telling whoever made the most money that they were the father.”

            “If you remember correctly I told you that you are not his father. Can’t you see a resemblance between Joseph and his real father?” Jasmine asked glaring at him.

            This was what she was hoping to avoid, especially in front of her mother. Oliver was a drunken mistake that she honestly forgot about. That was how memorable that night had been. She’d gone away with Jose a week later and that had been it. Oliver had been a friend growing up; more like their mothers were friends and made them hang out. He was definitely not her type; for one thing he was pasty pale when she liked her guys tan. Oliver was ok looks wise, he could not compare to Jose though. Jose was a woman’s fantasy, tall, muscular, golden skin, hazel eyes and he just had an aura about him. There was an irresistibility about Jose that obviously every woman that came in contact with him wanted him. And she did like the fact the man nobody could pin down was hers. Jose was still laying there rubbing Joseph’s little back Oliver was a nuisances and he was trying to ruin this for her because he was jealous and knew she would never want him. Sex did not mean that 30 years of dislike went away; he had a crush that he should have gotten over when he was 5.

            “Jasmine, why does Oliver think that Joseph is his son?” Her mother asked.

            “Because he is deranged,” she replied.

            “You got pregnant after we spent the night together,” Oliver said.

            “No, I got pregnant when Jose and I spent three months having sex in Greece. That’s pretty much all we did, some days I didn’t even get dressed,” she said glaring at Oliver. Her mother gasped and Holly giggled. Being nice wasn’t going to get her anywhere with Oliver. “You whined that we should do a test and we did one and Joseph is Jose’s son. Why the hell would I name him after Jose if he wasn’t the father? What sense does that even make? I made a huge mistake when I drunk and you took advantage of me. So you can go to hell and leave me alone.”

            “Jasmine,” her mother said obviously a little shocked.

            “This is exactly the type of thing you would do. Does your mother know about the married men you slept with? Or all the whoring around you did because you like guys with money?” Oliver asked and her mother stared at her.

            “I think you need to leave,” Jose said. He looked like he might kill Oliver which would have been a good thing at the moment. “What Jasmine does is her business, not yours. And so you know I would not raise someone else’s child, Joseph is my son.”

            “This isn’t over,” Oliver said but he did leave.

            “I’m going to go make sure he leaves,” her mother said hurrying away.

            “You gave her a heart attack,” Holly laughed. She closed the door before she walked away.

            “Nice to know you had fun in Greece,” Jose said looking amused.

            “Oh you know I did and I would love to have another vacation like that,” she said. She crawled up to the top of the bed to lay with him and he wrapped his arm around her.

            “I can take you on a honeymoon anywhere you want to go,” he told her.

            “Well we’ve done Europe,” she said thoughtfully. “I’m pretty sure Wildflower would die if we went to Brazil. How bout the Bahamas?”

            “If that’s where you want to go then we will,” he nodded. The look he had meant he was making plans in his head.

            “Joseph is so young; do you think we should take him there?”

            “Well he doesn’t have to go,” he said and she stared at him. “I’m just saying that I know of a house full of people that would love to keep him.”

            “I’ve never been away from him, well except that day I came out to see you,” she said. If she was honest with herself she never saw herself as a mother, not until she was pregnant. Now her whole life was devoted to Joseph.

            “We can take him, its fine,” Jose said. Obviously he sensed her reluctance.

            “I love you J, I hope you know that. I’m not with you because you have money.”

            “I know, even so it doesn’t matter, you’ve given me something way more valuable,” he replied. He kissed her forehead and pulled her tighter against him. This was the most perfect moment of her life laying here with them; this was how it was meant to be. And she was not going to let anyone mess this up for her.

 

 

            Instead of going shopping after lunch Wildflower went back to the house. She was feeling rather nauseous and decided to shop when she felt better. Nicolas was still out so she took a taxi. As soon as she got in the house she was running for the bathroom to throw up her expensive lunch. It took her a few minutes to drag herself up to go close the front door. Considering her history with people breaking in at the mansion, you would think she would have been more careful. But obviously not today, but when she got back to the door she was no longer alone. At least it wasn’t somebody that wanted her dead.

            “I was about to call your cell but the door was open,” Tara said when she came in.

            “Yeah I was just throwing up a little,” she shrugged. “What are you doing here anyway?”

            “Wish I could say it was a vacation but Richard is here for business and I tagged along to shop. I remembered that you were coming out here so I made Richard find out your address so I could drop by,” Tara said. She was the wife of one of Nicolas’ best friends and they had grown close since meeting.

            “I just had lunch with Rosa,” Wildflower told her. They went over to sit on the couch, she still felt a little crappy.

            “How did that go? Why is she here?”

            “She flew out here to have lunch with me and try to get on my good side. Only because of the baby,” she sighed.

            “Honey, are you ok? You’re all pale and clammy,” Tara said staring at her.

            “Just a little sick that’s all, but don’t tell Nick he would overreact.”

            “Isn’t pregnancy fun? I swear those glowy happy pregnant chicks are on drugs, I was never happy when I was pregnant,” Tara said thoughtfully.

            “Where are Bethany and Richie?” She asked while laying her head on the couch.

            “Home with Nana, I needed a little break you know? Besides we’re only staying a week and I never go anywhere without them,” Tara said. Bethany was her 7 year old and Richie was 8, they were the most well mannered kids Wildflower had even met.

            “I’m definitely not a happy pregnant chick. If I’m not sick I’m dealing with not being allowed to do anything, I can’t win,” she sighed again. “Wanna take a walk?”

            “Sure, I’m so jealous you are on the beach,” Tara said.

            They both got up and went out the patio door leaving their shoes on the deck. It was nice to feel the sand in between her toes. She rolled her jeans up to walk closer to the water. This wasn’t Brazil but it was paradise enough for her for a little while. Maybe the best thing about being here was privacy, there was no such thing in the mansion. Not that she minded, she was use to chaos with her many siblings. But it was nice to have peace for awhile.

            “Tomorrow I’m coming to get you and we can shop and have lunch and make our husbands take us out for dinner. And since you aren’t allowed on your feet very long, we can sit to try on shoes and jewelry, sound good?” Tara asked.

            “Perfect,” Wildflower replied. She was a little distracted by staring out at the ocean. She closed her eyes and breathed in, with the water splashing up her ankles, she was at peace. “I love it here.”

            “Make him buy you a beach house,” Tara suggested.

            “He already bought the house in Rio, I doubt he wants to buy one here. Besides we would never be able to come,” she sighed.

            “But you could take your own vacation, and having options is a good thing. It could be like your summer house and let’s face it if anyone could afford another house its Nick,” Tara said.

            “I don’t know, it would be nice though,” she said thoughtfully.

            “Yes especially so that we can have a girl’s weekend. Once you’re cleared to fly again we could go places,” Tara said.

            “I’m starting to think you’re using me,” she said.

            “Maybe a little you do have a plane and a house in Rio,” Tara replied and they both laughed. “If you like skiing I have a cabin.”

            “I’ve never been but I don’t think I’ll be allowed any time soon.”

            “Next time we go I’m inviting you and Nick, they can ski and we can drink hot chocolate by the fireplace, it will be fun. The couples we traveled with in the past weren’t much fun, I mean I like Nadia and Brian but you’re more fun.”

            “It might be nice for a change of scenery,” Wildflower said. For some reason she liked the idea of doing stuff with other couples. Most of her time was usually spent with the kids. Maybe she would tell Nicolas that she wanted a house here.

 

            Nicolas pulled in the driveway of his temporary home. He wasn’t exactly sure if his wife was home or not, she didn’t answer her phone when he called. After having lunch with his mother she was probably ready to divorce him. His mother thought she knew what was best for everybody and she was very controlling. Otherwise he loved her and didn’t mind her at least that had been true before he was in a relationship. It had been awhile since he’d been out here, his company had offices here. A search of the house turned up nothing but he did find Wildflower’s cell phone, on the bathroom floor. That concerned him; he was always worried when she was out of his sight. What if something happen to her or the baby? At least back home she was never alone, but they weren’t at home. He stepped out onto the deck and that was when he spotted her. She was sitting out in the sand hugging her knees with her chin balanced on top.

            “What’re you doing out here?” He asked when he got over to her.

            “Just thinking,” she replied. He sat down behind her and she leaned back into him and he held her.

            “How long have you been out here? You said you were going shopping.”

            “I didn’t feel up to it so I came back here and Tara came over. Tomorrow I’m going out with her and she wants us all to go out to dinner. Do you want to?” She asked turning to look at him.

            “Its fine,” he replied taking her hand. “So what were you thinking about?”

            “A lot of things, but I was mostly thinking about when I was younger and we took a trip to the beach. I always dreamed that I could leave by the beach, any beach would do. It’s nice to live that dream for a little while,” she told him.

            “We could buy a house here so you can come whenever you want,” he suggested.

            “Funny, Tara said you would do that,” she replied.

            “If you want we can look at some places later this week,” he offered.

            “You would just buy me a house because I like the beach?” She asked turning to look at him.

            “Yes, it’s not that big of a deal I bought you a house in Brazil,” he shrugged. “Did I ever mention I bought the hotel I use to live in?”

            “No, why would you buy it?”

            “Because I wanted to keep my room, so we could go hide away.”

            “You are crazy, so you know that?”

            “Yes I do Mrs. Capriani,” he said and she smiled. “So does it feel any different to be my wife now?”

            “A little, but like nothing big has changed we already lived together.”

            “How was lunch?”

            “Not as bad as I expected, I think she was really trying though. I’m willing to let the past go because its too much effort to hold a grudge. She is your mother and it’s not like she’s going to stop being your mother. Though I’m sure if it wasn’t for me being pregnant she wouldn’t have bothered,” she shrugged.

            “I’m not like you I can hold a grudge forever.”

            “Oh I bet you could but I am completely Zen I’m not thinking about the negative. I can’t when I have been blessed with a wonderful husband and we are having a baby so I have to be happy. Our family is crazy and nothing will change that.”

            “You have no idea how lucky I feel to have you,” he told her and hugged her tight. “How is my baby today?”

            “Fine, no worries, but I think I’m getting a belly,” she said.

            “You’re still sexy,” he whispered in her ear.

            “Now I am but I doubt you will think so later on.”

            “I think you under estimate how attracted to you I am,” he said and kissed her neck. “If I could I would have you right now.”

            “Have you ever had sex on a beach?”

            “Nah, sex was boring until I met you.”

            “Except you wouldn’t have sex with me when we first met.”

            “Doesn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about it every second of everyday.”

            “Really?” She asked and he nodded.

            “You know I heard that couples don’t get out of bed on their honeymoon.”

            “Then why aren’t we in bed?”

            “Oh I can make sure we stay in bed a few days,” he told her.

He stood and pulled her up too and then picked her up. She giggled while he carried her back to the house. Maybe it was time for him to stop thinking of her as fragile, he should have known better. Wildflower was anything but fragile and that was what he loved about her. Truth be told he loved everything about her. And he was willing to spend the rest of their vacation proving that to her.

 

 

“What is wrong with you?” Christina asked.

“Nothing,” Brooke lied.

“You’re a bad liar,” Christina said.

“Ok, if Isaiah got really drunk one night and didn’t remember anything that he did but he came home with um a woman’s number and her uh thong in his pocket, what would you do?” Brooke asked and it was no surprise that Christina stared at her like she was crazy. “This is hypothetical Chris; I’m not saying he didn’t anything.”

“I would murder him,” she said simply. “Now tell me why you would ask something so specific?”

“Didn’t happen to me,” Brooke said and Christina stared at her. “I did something I shouldn’t have, but at the time it seemed like the right choice. The more I think about it the guiltier I feel because it was wrong.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Did something happen with Jay?”

“No, it was Nicolas,” she admitted.

“He’s cheating on Wildflower?”

“No, I don’t know it kind of looked like it.”

“And when did this happen?”

“Bachelor party.”

“Why did she marry him if he cheated on her?”

“Because he doesn’t know if he did anything, he was drunk, like really drunk. And well Tara’s husband video taped the party and we erased something from it.”

The guilt of what she did had been weighing on her, especially when Wildflower was in the hospital. It was even worse that day Wildflower came down to the kitchen looking like she might cry. Her friend was not the type of girl that cried over a guy. And when that husband of hers told her he changed his mind about taking her out, she looked worse. Part of Brooke wanted to tell Wildflower the truth but she also didn’t want to upset her. Hadn’t she been through enough? But was sparing her feelings really the best thing? Now she was married to a man that might not be so trust worthy. Had all those days he spent beside her hospital bed just guilt? Brooke was not one to obsess over things, usually she wasn’t, this time was different.

“Why the hell would you cover up him cheating? I knew there had be more to the reason she was crying in the bathroom before her wedding,” Christina shook her head.

“She wanted to let it go and forget and she never wanted to tell me anyway.”

“What was on this tape?”

“He went into the bathroom and some skank a*s stripper followed him in.”

“That’s it? You make it seem like there was a video of him having sex with her,” Christina said like it wasn’t a big deal.

“And what do you think they were doing in a bathroom alone? Her thong was missing when she came out of the bathroom.”

“I know he’s kind of sneakish but he would never dare do anything that stupid with all the guys there,” Christina said.

“That’s what I thought before I saw that tape. The skank was on his lap whispering to him and he was looking like he was into her,” Brooke said.

“Ok, we can settle this now,” Christina said. Before Brooke could ask how she called for Isaiah. Coming over to their house suddenly didn’t seem like such a good idea.

“Do you realize how dumb telling Isaiah is?”

“He’s not going to say anything if he values his life,” Christina said with a devious smile.

“What do you want? And thanks for being loud enough to wake your daughter up,” Isaiah grumbled when he came into the kitchen. The man was eternally grouchy, unless of course he was with his daughter that was the only time Brooke remembered seeing him smile.

“Do you remember Nicolas’ bachelor party?” Christina asked ignoring his obvious annoyance.

“Gee I don’t know I was there and it was a few weeks ago, what do you think?” He asked looking at her like she was stupid. Watching them together made you wonder what Christina a nice sweet good girl, ever saw in him. And why she would marry someone so hostile?

“Chris, just let it go,” Brooke said giving her a look.

“Are you curious as to what Jay was doing that night?” Isaiah asked Brooke.

“No, Nicolas,” Christina said. That got them an odd look from him.

“Why do you want to know what he was up to?” Isaiah asked suspiciously.

“Isaiah, honey, they why isn’t important, just tell us what you remember from that night,” Christina said in a sugary sweet voice.

“He was pretty wasted, that’s about it,” Isaiah shrugged.

“See I told you,” Christina said. “A video is nothing compared to someone that actually was there.”

“What video? Are you talking about what’s his name… um Richard? He kept sitting down his video camera and forgetting where he left it,” Isaiah said.

“Did you see Nicolas go to the bathroom with a stripper?” Christina asked him and he actually laughed.

“Actually I did, he wasn’t in there long enough,” Isaiah assured them. “Why are you two talking about that anyway?”

            “Because Brookey is a worrier,” Christina told him.

            “Trust me if he could have done something in that amount of time Wildflower would not have married him,” Isaiah laughed. He kissed his wife and left out the kitchen.

            “How do you live with him?” Brooke asked and Christina actually smiled.

            “We have great sex,” she said. “No really, I love him and he’s not always grouchy. I know it seems like he is but sometimes he’s completely wonderful. And I love him even more every time I see him with our daughter.” It was weird to see a dreamily look on anyone’s face when they talked about Isaiah.

            “Well I hope he was right,” Brooke said.

            Maybe now she could stop feeling so guilty, Isaiah had been there. While Christina got back to her homework that was spread out all over the table, she tried to let the guilt go. But she still felt like she betrayed her best friend by letting her get married. Nicolas seemed like a perfectly nice guy, but he had another side to him and they all knew it. The way he worshipped Wildflower should have been enough to let her know he would never cheat and she saw their little sex video, there was no reason for him to cheat. Still she couldn’t shake the feeling that something did happen and she was going to regret keeping her mouth shut. It was wildflower’s life and her decision to make and she chose to stay with him and marry him before Brooke even went to investigate. All she could do was hope for the best and be there if everything fell apart.

 

Reviews

[deeps]

such a wonderful chapter here. I like this alot. wonderful detail and such vivid imagery involved. This is very well written