Chapter Twenty-Four
My Vagina Rage shall Smite You!
Apparently, some sort of fucked up karma was after me. I’d told Hale I was ready to talk, but several days of silence passed and he still wasn’t ready open the gates of communication. There had been no word from Remington or Jasmine’s lawyer. Clayton was at a loss and Barrett hadn’t been able to say two words to me since I accidentally saw his junk.
Hale’s penis was nicer. Not that it mattered, but it was good information to have.
While Hale continued to ignore me and avoid eye contact, I passed my days playing with Elara by the ocean and talking to Elle, who seemed like her old self again. She still had a lot of questions, but they were fun questions, sort of like binge-watching a favorite sitcom we’d seen a thousand times before.
“And Travis Jones?”
“Mmm…” I swallowed a sip of water. “You dumped him because he had an obsession with twisting your nipples.”
“Oh, yeah!” Elle laughed. “He was awful! It was like he was trying to crack a safe every time he got my bra off. What about Lee McGuire?”
I thought back for a moment. “I think you broke up with him because he was too into manscaping.”
She scrunched her nose. “His face?”
“No, down there.”
She made an expression that told me that wasn’t high on her violation list these days. “Barrett manscapes.”
“Ew. And I know. Let’s not discuss Barrett’s penis.”
“It’s a nice one.”
Not as nice as his brother’s… “Anyway…”
When we got back to the house, Hale was on the phone. Elle sent me a look and bailed, leaving me alone so she could take a shower. I carried Elara to the sink and rinsed the sand off her body then took her upstairs to change into something cozy. The beach had a way of tuckering her out, so once she was changed she was ready for a nap.
After laying her in the crib, I went to find something to eat. Walking down the steps, I spotted Hale sitting on a chair in the den, sipping from an almost empty glass. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
Be still my heart. Words! “You okay?”
“I guess I am. That was Clayton. Jasmine dropped the charges and she’s giving me the house in New England.”
I gasped. “What? That’s great!”
Remington had done it! I wasn’t sure how, but he did and now everything could go back to normal.
“She’s also not taking my last offer—the additional money and the place in New York.”
Even better! Or was I missing something? “So why don’t you look happy?”
His phone buzzed and he briefly glanced at the screen, swiping his finger over the bottom. “This is why.”
Uh-oh. I slowly walked toward him and looked at his phone. It was a picture of a newspaper clipping. “What is it?”
“Look.”
I took his phone and stretched the screen so I could read the words.
Remington Davenport announced his fifth marriage today during a private interview held at his New England estate. The reception was held at a secluded location in Costa Rica, immediately following the ceremony with only one witness and the couple on the beach.
My heart pounded. “Your father got married?”
Wouldn’t he have invited us? I would have loved to have gone to Costa Rica with him and Odette.
“Notice they didn’t print the bride’s name.”
“Maybe he and Odette want to be discreet. She is his fifth wife. I knew there was a spark there.”
He laughed coldly, hoisting himself out of his seat and walking to the bar, refilling his glass with a generous hand. “He didn’t marry Odette, Rayne.”
“Who…” My words fell away as a cool sweat broke over my skin like a fever, my stomach instantly nauseous. Chills raced up my spine.
“No,” I breathed.
Hale sipped his drink then lifted his glass as if on second thought. “Cheers. May Rachel not roll over too hard in her grave.”
This couldn’t be happening. “He married her?” Jasmine?
“Technically,” Hale said, thick with sarcasm. “He made my problem go away.”
“I don’t understand any of this!” My legs gave out and I dropped into a chair. “They couldn’t have a baby together but they can get married?”
“She didn’t want a baby. She wanted money. Father had more than son, so she fucked him. Dad’s counter offer was more enticing as well. You see the trend. Now she’ll have plenty for the rest of her life.”
“Who does this?”
“Remington. Davenport.” His glass was again empty so he refilled it.
“Hale…” He didn’t look good. His tie was undone and his shirt was only half tucked in and his eyes were the most haunting shade of silver I’d ever seen. “Have you spoken to him?”
“Nope, and I don’t plan to.”
“Will you stop acting so blasé? I can’t take you like this! Why can’t you people be a normal family for once?” I sounded hysterical, but what the fuck!
“How do you expect me to be, Rayne? I wanted that woman as far away from me and my daughter—and you—as possible. Now, she’s a part of the family. All. To save. A buck.”
I couldn’t catch my breath. There had to be a way to undo this. Remington’s words played back in my mind.
Burdens don’t just disappear. They’re transferred to someone else.
He took Hale’s burden and made it his own—which was exactly what he should have done in the first place, being that it was never Hale’s problem to begin with, but that was beside the point. “What the fucking fuck?”
“Exactly. Be sure to send my congratulations when you call him. I’m sure you’ll do that tonight, being as he’s your go-to guy. Is it proper to congratulate the bride? Or is it best wishes and congratulations to the groom? I can never remember.”
His callous comment struck me where all my tender emotions hid and I flinched. This wasn’t a side of Hale I liked.
How dare he act like this would make me happy? This was not what I wanted! I had to get out of there. I couldn’t take anymore. They were all insane. “You need to stop drinking before Elara wakes up.”
He ignored me and sipped from his watered down ice.
“Hale.”
“Rayne, I love you, but there isn’t a force in the world strong enough to pry this bottle out of my hand tonight. I intend to finish it and then finish its friends over there. If you don’t like it, you can get the hell out of my house.”
I took a staggering step back. “Did you just tell me to get the hell out of your house?”
Something snapped inside of me. Maybe it was that crazed, psycho rage some women got when their boyfriends offend them. I always thought that was hormones and too much crazy, but now I knew. It was an intricate part of female genetics, a force of power that stemmed from all the crap tied into our uterus and the miraculous strength possessed by the female soul. It was the innate wrath and métier that allowed women to flip over cars and rescue babies. And now it was pumping through my veins, full speed ahead, ready to spew all over Hale.
“Oh, I’ll get out.” I spoke in a frighteningly quiet tone.
His head jerked and I saw the flash of fear in his bloodshot eyes. Wise boy.
“And I won’t come back until you’re ready to talk to me like a man and a partner. I’ve had about enough Davenport bullshit for one lifetime—”
“You’re a part of this bullshit—”
“Your father did this! Not me. God, you can be just like him sometimes! I’ll be damned if I let one more asshole pin his problems on my back. Do not try to follow me!”
I marched up the stairs and packed a bag. Then I packed a bag of Elara’s clothes because she wasn’t staying here either. It briefly crossed my mind that I was kidnapping Hale’s daughter, but that was a risk I was willing to take because I was fucking fuming and he was drunk!
Once I had everything, and my precious cargo, I pounded on Elle’s door. “Elle! Come on, we’re leaving!”
Her door flew open. “What?”
“Get your stuff. We aren’t staying here.”
“Where are we going?”
“Just get some stuff! I’ll meet you in the car.”
I carried Elara down the steps and stopped into the kitchen to grab some bottles and snacks for her.
“You’re not taking her,” Hale said from the den.
“Try to stop me, Hale. You’re drunk, angry, and in no condition to take care of her right. You told me to get the hell out. I’m taking her with me. You can pick her up in the morning when you’re sober.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll let you know when I get there. Elle!”
“I’m coming!” Elle came down the steps with a bag slung over her shoulder. “Hey, Hale.”
“Hey.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll meet you in the car.”
Once I had Elara buckled in the back of Hale’s Rolls and Elle was ready to go, I shifted into reverse and backed out of the driveway.
“Where are we going?”
“I’m not sure.” I ground my teeth and gripped the wheel. If not for the little bundle of snuggles in the back I’d have peeled out.
It was Key West so we didn’t have to go far to find a place to stay. I parked valet style at the first sizable hotel I passed. “Give me some money.”
“I don’t have any cash,” Elle said.
“Great.” The attendant opened the door and I reached under the seat, fishing around until my hand landed on a thin strip of plastic. “Ah-ha!” I withdrew a shiny black card with HALE DAVENPORT embossed on the front.
We climbed out and instructed the valet to charge it to our room. We then entered a lavish lobby and Elle held Elara as I made my way to the front desk.
“I’d like the nicest suite you have available.”
The clerk typed some words into the computer and said, “I have a King available with an ensuite lounge and Jacuzzi tub.”
“Perfect.” I slid him the card.
He swiped and we were passed a key. I was breaking so many laws I was a little dizzy and high with authority, but nothing could stop me now.
The room was fucking bananas. Champagne chilling on ice, pillows and gossamer drapes cloaking the bed like something from Cinderella’s palace, and a view to die for.
“Wow,” Elle said, stepping up to the glass and taking in the sight of the sun setting over the ocean. Even Elara seemed impressed.
I plopped on the bed and dialed room service. “Hello, I’d like to order two ice cream sundaes, two steak dinners—medium rare—some applesauce, a fruit tray, and what do you have that’s chocolate?” The receptionist listed several things that sounded amazing. “Yes, one of each. Thank you.”
“What the hell did you just order?” Elle asked, balancing Elara on her knees as she sat in one of the club chairs by the window.
“Don’t judge me.”
I popped the cork on the champagne and took a long sip from the bottle. I didn’t offer Elle any because someone had to keep a sober eye on Elara. Falling back on the pillows, I held the cool bottle between my thighs and sighed.
“Men. Suck.”
Elle groaned. “Here we go again.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
This is Armageddon!
“Rayne! Enough!” Elle snapped. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I miss my things and I want to go back to the house.”
I stood on the bed, bouncing Elara on my hip. My hair was a disaster, my legs hairy, and my last clean shirt was freckled with spit up. But I was not giving up!
“We can’t quit now. We’re winning!”
“Do you hear yourself? You sound crazy. We’ve been cooped up in this hotel room for two days. We don’t have a charger and you have someone else’s kid! Barrett’s probably trying to text me.”
I blew raspberries into the air. “Screw Barrett. This is about us women! Don’t you get it, Elle? They have to learn. They say we’re the ones with PMS and all that crap, but it’s really them. They’re the crazy ones!”
She plopped onto the chair. “I wouldn’t be too sure.”
There was a knock at the door and we both stilled. I sniffed. Elara needed a diaper change, but we were running low on supplies. The knock came again.
“Do you want me to get that?”
“No! It could be a trap!”
Elle rolled her eyes and went to the door. I lowered myself to the mattress and cradled Elara on my lap. “Shh … be very quiet.”
“Thank you,” Elle said and shut the door.
“Who was it?”
She came around the corner holding a vase of vibrant lilies. “It was a delivery for you.”
I eyed the flowers like a bomb. “Who are they from?”
“Get a grip, Rayne. They’re from Hale.”
She put them on the dresser and plucked out the card. “Rayne, please forgive me for being a first class jerk. Come home. I miss my family. I miss you. Love, Hale.” She tossed the card next to the flowers. “Can we please leave, now?”
“How did he know where we were?”
“You have his credit card! Oh, my God, I can’t take you like this!” She went to the closet and grabbed her bag.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m leaving. Barrett and I were supposed to go out sailing this weekend and he’s going to think I’m blowing him off.”
“You can’t leave! We’re in this together.”
“No, Rayne. This is all you. I told you to talk to him and be an adult. This…” she waved her hand around the messy room. “This is like a luxury undercover op gone wrong. And the room stinks like sour milk and baby shit.”
“Don’t be a turd in a sandbox, Elle. Stay!”
“No, my Thelma and Louise days are over. Now, are you coming with me or do I have to call a cab?”
My shoulders slumped. I was no match for Elle when she got her mind set on something. It was like the old days again and I told myself to be happy my friend was well on her way back to her former self, but part of me wished she’d stay my reckless sidekick—as irrational as I was being.
“Fine. I’ll go with you. But for the record, I feel like a prisoner of war and this is not how I wanted to go down.”
She looked at me and sighed. “Why are you doing this? I mean, how long do you want to drag this out?”
My head lowered. I’d done a fair job at keeping my hurt feelings at bay, focusing on the rage, but the truth was I was more hurt than angry. “You weren’t there. He told me to get the hell out of his house.”
“Ray.” She came to sit next to me on the bed. “Couples fight and say stupid shit. He didn’t mean to throw you out permanently. He’s obviously tense about whatever happened with his dad, but he’ll get over it. By the flowers and card, I’d say he already has.”
But those words… Get the hell out. “I don’t want to love someone who can just throw me away.”
Her lips pressed in a sad smile. “He’s not throwing you away, babe. He’s lashing out. All of this is because he wants to be the man you turn to when you’re in trouble. I know you love Remington and count on him, but you have to stop looking for a father figure that isn’t there and start looking at what’s real. Hale loves you. He told Barrett he plans on marrying you. No one needs to walk you down the aisle for you to have that happy ending. You just have to be brave enough to trust that Hale will be waiting for you at the other end.”
“You think I should marry him?” Why didn’t anyone else care that we’d only met this summer? Wasn’t that supposed to be a thing?
“I think you love him. Never in a million years did I expect you to actually find a real relationship like this and be brave enough to commit to it. Think about who you are. Calamity Rayne doesn’t do commitment. But here you are, raising his daughter, making him lunches, taking care of his house, and worrying about the future.” She grinned. “I think you’re finally growing up.”
Come to think of it, I was doing an awful lot of adult things—before I kidnapped Elara and hid out in a hotel. But that skittish little girl was still lurking inside of me. “I’m scared.”
“Love’s scary. But so is being alone. Only you can decide what you want.”
The mere thought of a life without Hale made my stomach hurt. I didn’t know how to go back to being the girl I’d left in Oregon.
“What about you? Will you stay here?”
“For a while. I’m having fun right now, but eventually, I need to get a job. Barrett told me about an opening at the marina. I might check that out, but … you can’t base your life on me. It’s time to start deciding for you.”
A world without Elle seemed a dark and lonely place. “We’ll need a good phone plan if you move home again.”
“I think I outgrew Oregon a long time ago. I’m going to find a lawyer to help me sell the house and split whatever’s left with Chris. Right now, I have no roots and I sort of like it. It’s like I’m a brand new person and I want to find out how far she can fly before I clip her wings.”
“Aren’t you scared?” She always seemed so confident, so fearless. I wasn’t any of those things.
“Yes, but it’s an exciting fear. I’d rather jump than spend my life staring at the view and wondering what if.”
I’d taken a jump when I flew to Jersey for an interview last summer. Things hadn’t gone too badly. I mean, I had Hale, got to know a fascinating man like Remington, figured out babies weren’t so scary, and it actually turned out sort of nice.
The other day when Remington joked about Elara eventually calling me Mother… I’d be lying if I said the idea didn’t fill me with joy.
I looked down at her as she sucked on my knuckle. Would she eventually want a little brother or sister? I wanted to give her everything she wanted and I wanted to give her those things with Hale.
I looked around the hotel room. The place was in shambles. Hale would never tolerate such a mess. I laughed to myself.
“We’re really opposite, me and Hale.”
“Sometimes opposites attract in the best possible way.”
I sighed, my heart missing home, missing him. God, I missed his face, the scent of his clothing, the way he hung my towel when I left it in a sopping heap on the counter. All of those little quirks added up to the man I loved. And no matter how many times I arranged the pillows wrong or put the milk away empty, he never got frustrated with me.
“How can I be so in love with him and so mad at him?”
“He’s a boy, Ray. They’re totally annoying. But I’m convinced he’s one of the good ones. We’ll go home, I’ll give you guys some privacy, and you’ll talk it out. Then you can have make up sex.”
I twisted my lips and eyed my legs. “I’d need to shower first.”
“Let’s go home, Calamity. Your man’s waiting for you.”
Within an hour we were packed up, checked out, and on our way home. Elle had me drop her off at Remington’s where Barrett was staying. As she got out of the car I felt like a kid being sent off for college for the first time.
I looked back at Elara, my little partner in crime. “It’s just you and me, kid. Should we head for the border or go home?”
The binkie in her mouth bobbed.
“Yeah, I miss him too.” Exhaling, I backed out and turned the car toward Hale’s.
Hale appeared on the front step before I had the trunk open. He looked much better than when I’d left him. I on the other hand… Well, it wasn’t great.
He approached slowly and took Elara, giving her a kiss. So much for war. The turncoat practically squealed with glee the moment she recognized him.
His gaze met mine. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
“Can I get your bags?”
“I got them.” Of course, I had them. But once I tried to juggle my bag, the leftover room service, and the flowers, I nearly dropped everything.
With a sigh, Hale took the flowers and walked us inside.
Situating Elara in her swing, he watched me as I tossed my bag on the steps and took my leftovers to the kitchen. I planned on eating them later, but he was watching me and that made me nervous, so I peeled back the top of the brownie tray and popped a piece in my mouth.
“Did you have fun?”
“Not particularly.”
“Did you visit the pool?”
“No, we just stayed in the hotel room.”
“You could have used the card to visit the spa if you wanted.”
“We had Elara.”
“Right.”
“Right.”
How were we supposed to shatter this wall of awkwardness between us? I closed the brownies and tucked them in the fridge. “I’m going to take a shower.” Which was really code for nap. Playing nanny twenty-four-seven was a lot harder than taking turns with Hale.
“Should I order dinner?”
“Do whatever you want.” Gah! I didn’t mean to come off as such a bitch, but some womanly part of me demanded he didn’t get a pass simply because he sent flowers and a sweet card. I needed to actually hear him say the words I’m sorry. And maybe a few others… I was an asshole. My love for you is undying and will never fade. You were right to go to my dad… Something like that.
I carried my bag up the steps and didn’t exhale until I was safely inside the bedroom. As I showered, I thought about my life, not just the me and Hale stuff, but all the crap that came before.
I never tried to be much of anything, and not trying too hard had a way of making me feel fine with who I was. It wasn’t until my thirtieth birthday that I wasn’t fine anymore.
Then I found the Davenports and realized there was my sort of weird and a whole other level I never considered. The sort of weird where fathers steal their children’s lovers and babies are seen as leverage, and scandal is a real word with serious consequences.
I thought about Remington, no longer as furious as I’d been when I first discovered what he’d done. It still didn’t make sense though.
How did bringing Jasmine into the family make Hale’s problems go away? I kept having strange visions of Thanksgiving dinner with the Davenports and Jasmine sitting to Remington’s left while her daughter sat between Hale and I. Mega weird.
And I needed to stop thinking of Elara as being anything to her. Elara was ours—well, Hale’s.
When I got out of the shower my phone had a charge and several missed calls and texts from Hale, but none from the last hour. I sat on the bed and considered if calling Remington was a wise choice or a very bad one.
Undecided, I hit send.
“I was wondering when I’d hear from you,” Remington answered.
I sighed. “Remington … what have you done?”
“Exactly what you asked me to do. I made a problem go away for my son.”
Was she there right, listening to him talk? “By marrying her?”
“Meyers, my heart died with Rachel. What difference does another wife make?”
I scoffed. “It’s marriage, Remington.”
“And we’ve discussed our different positions on the subject ad nauseam. This doesn’t change much for me, but it changes everything for Hale.”
“She’s your wife now, Remington. She’ll be around forever.”
“She’ll be gone when I die.”
“Don’t say that.”
“It’s the truth. Besides, holding the title of spouse doesn’t affect much more than a bank account. She’ll have her money and then some. For now, she’s on an allowance, meeting with realtors who can find her a home in Europe or any American city she wants. I get her attention whenever it suits me, and she’s legally bound to never cross my children or my grandchildren again. Hale’s safe. My granddaughter is safe.”
“But what about Odette?” They were so cute together, singing dated jazz tunes and sipping old fashioneds.
“Odette’s fine. She understands this is more of a business arrangement than anything else. She’s upstairs in my bed as we speak.”
“Odette? She’s there?”
“Of course.”
“Where’s Jasmine?”
“She went back to Europe yesterday. I imagine she’ll be there most of the time. Given the nature of how we met and my circumstances back then, she’s aware she didn’t marry a saint.”
“And what about her loyalties?”
He chuckled. “This ain’t my first rodeo, Meyers. Her prenup’s ironclad. Any signs of infidelity and it all goes away, the allowance, the houses, the widow perks. I might not be an angel, but I learned how to write a contract from the devil himself. Trust me when I say the situation’s handled.”
He was so calm about everything, so accepting. “I just … don’t understand why you would do this. You changed so much so fast.”
“I thought my motive was clear. I did it for Hale.”
My lips pressed tight as I understood none of this was what he really wanted. It was an arranged inconvenience he’d tolerate for the rest of his life. But he’d suffer that if it made his son’s life a little easier. He was trying to make amends. Maybe trying to thank his son for bringing Elara into this world, even when she’d never know how she got there.
“Oh, Remington.”
“Now, don’t get all emotional. Christ. You asked me to help him and I did. That’s … what a father’s supposed to do.”
Hale might not see it now, but what Remington did was significant. He’d never wanted a part of any of this, but he caved on account of his love for his son. “You’re a good dad, Remington.” Finally.
“I’ve seen better. There are a lot of things I’m great at, but fatherhood isn’t one of them. I’m not too arrogant to admit Hale helped me. That child, my … granddaughter … she’s a Davenport. I think it will be interesting watching her grow up under a good father, which Hale is. I would never let one of my children play the pawn to someone else’s greed.”
Only if his was the hand in control, I thought, but maybe he was turning over a new leaf. Remington said he’d never love anyone after he lost his first wife, Rachel, but maybe he was discovering a new love, the sort fussy old men discovered when their grandbabies were born.
I didn’t know what to say. “Why didn’t you do this from the start?”
“I didn’t want to.”
I laughed. “Are you saying you wanted to now?”
Remington was strangely silent. “Jasmine was a mistake I should never have made. I knew it the minute I left her bed and I knew it in the weeks that followed. I didn’t want my wife to know what I’d done. Rachel was different. I … loved her in a different way than all the others. But mostly, I didn’t want Hale to know. For a brief moment there, I thought they never would.”
“Then you found out she was pregnant.”
He sighed. “Rachel was devastated and my hands were tied. I’d do anything to prove she was it for me. I’d never been good with regret, but there was no escaping the mistake I’d made with Jasmine. I was trying to make it right, but…”
Rachel had passed away suddenly.
“Hale was a separate issue. The way he looked at me… I hope you never have a child look at you with such hate. I just wanted the entire mess to go away. I’d lost my wife. I couldn’t lose my son.”
“But Hale wouldn’t let it go away.”
“No. He’s always had a better moral compass when it came to doing the ethical thing. But he didn’t know what he was getting in to. I’ve met a thousand Jasmines in my lifetime and they’re vicious. She knew exactly what she was doing, betraying Hale to jump into my bed. She saw a bigger opportunity and went after it. I was just the dumb fish that took the bait.
“When Hale told me what he intended to do, I panicked. Losing Rachel, the constant battling with my son, the heart attack… It wasn’t an easy defeat, but I’d lost. And then you came along.”
“Me?” What did I have to do with any of this?
“Yes, Meyers, you. Marta, the staff… They all adore Hale. The walls are only so thin and you’ve heard how loud we can shout at each other. They knew what I’d done and it didn’t make my days easy. But you… You came in, with your cheap clothes and clumsy chaos, and you looked at me like I might actually be able to help you in some way. It was the first time in months that I felt needed.”
A soft smile curved my mouth. “No wonder you hired me. You were desperate.”
He grumbled. “You were a delightful distraction. I probably would have tried to—”
“Don’t.”
“It doesn’t matter. The minute Hale got involved I knew I’d never cross him like I had in the past. You were his the moment he set eyes on you.”
“But what about all that warning me away stuff?”
“I couldn’t bear to see him hurt again. He was all in. I needed to make sure you were just as deep.”
I shut my eyes. “I’m all in.”
“I know, sweetheart.”
“So as you see, the time hadn’t been right to marry her before. But there was nothing holding me back now. I stole something from Hale that I can never give back. But he loves you. You’re a part of us, Meyers. You asked me to help him and I did. For Hale. For you.”
“Thank you.”
“Now, I’m going to say goodnight. I’ve had a long week and Marta brought me a slice of cake that’s sitting here begging to be eaten and I have a company waiting upstairs. You take care.”
“You, too. And Remington?”
“Yeah?”
“I…” It was probably a mistake, but I said it anyway. “I love you.”
“Don’t start, Meyers. You’ll spoil my dessert.”
I smiled. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, sweetheart.” The line went dead.
That wasn’t so bad. I actually had a better understanding of things now that I spoke to him. But my problems were far from over. Time to go after the man who owned the rest of my heart. I texted Hale.
Can you come up here?