Chapter Sixteen
Lily collapsed with a contented smile. Her legs ached, and they were both sticky, but she liked resting with him inside her. Nerves shattered. Pulses pounded. She lay with him.
“I’ve got to finish my tree,” she whispered not wanting to leave his side.
“What else could you possibly have to do?”
Lily giggled, got up from her snugly position, and switched the light out before going back and turning on the tree. “Now, it’s done.” The white lights twinkled, and Lily went back to the comfort of his arms.
Wayne accepted her and kissed her on the head. “It looks beautiful.”
“Well, while you’re earning millions in your office, I’m making Christmas all special for us.”
“I’ve got you, angel. I don’t need anything else to make it special.” Lily smiled, her heart catching. The desire to rush and tell him how she felt so close on her tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak the words that would change her life forever.
How had it happened? How had she fallen in love with a man known to many as the Beast? Lily didn’t know, but somehow it happened, and all she could do was wait for the right time to tell him.
The following few days went by uneventful. Lily ordered some presents for her family and Wayne, but what did you get a man who had everything?
She settled on a new pen signed with his name. A week before Christmas, she was pulling in the shopping. She’d settled on a frozen turkey rather than risk waiting to order one. It was too late in the ordering season, so she wouldn’t get a decent bird anyway. Lily frowned seeing a van and Wayne’s car in the driveway. Ignoring the shopping in the back, she put her car into park and went to in search of the problem.
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“What the hell have you done?” she screamed. The pain inside her, breaking her heart and soul.
Men with music contracts and bands and shit stood and watched her having a complete melt down. Lily couldn’t cope. She struggled to breathe against the feeling of being trapped.
Wayne took her by the elbow and led her away from their prying eyes and into the privacy of his study, the same study she’d decorated over a week ago. The same study where he’d taken her, made love, and forever cemented his way into her life and heart. He was about burst her euphoric bubble.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, folding his arms over his chest and doing his businessman face.
No, she wasn’t having any of it.
“Those men, I want them out of my house.” Lily pointed at the closed door.
“Why? You’ve got a beautiful voice—”
“Exactly. It’s my voice. One I can choose to share with whomever I like or not. I’m not doing it, Wayne.”
“This is ridiculous.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her to the door. “You have real talent, and I’m not letting you squander it.”
“Let me go!” Lily turned in his arms and slapped him full across the face. His betrayal and the pain inside was too much for her to deal with. Wayne let her go and placed a hand against his cheek. She could see he was angry. He did nothing except look at her. “I told you my singing was for me and no one else.”
“I wanted you to share it with the world.”
“Either get rid of them, or I’m leaving.”
“I don’t do ultimatums.”
“And I no longer take orders from people who don’t know me.”
They stood off, neither moving, but the tension could be cut with a knife. Lily knew she looked a mess, her eyes red and puffy, nose running, but she didn’t care.
“I can’t just get rid of them.”
“You don’t get it, Wayne. I won’t sing for anyone else but me, and I see it was a mistake to even let you in. I was fucking stupid to think you’d leave it all alone.”
“For God’s sake, Lily. Singing is a fantastic career choice, an opportunity for you to really shine.”
“Why? Do I embarrass you? Does my lack of ambition make you the laughing stock of all your posh political parties?”
“Stop it.”
“No. I told you what I wanted. You asked me so many times what I wanted out of life, what I craved. All I want is a family and now that isn’t good enough for you?” With every passing word, the tears gathered, and the pain increased.
“I never said that.”
“But it’s what you’re thinking, right?”
Wayne was interrupted by a knock on the door. He went to answer it, and Lily turned away from him, not wanting to see who was behind the wood.
“Hiya, Wayne. I really got to get moving so if she could just come and sing.”
“No, there’ll be no singing,” Lily spun and shouted at the man.
“Just give me a minute. She’ll be out in a minute.” He sounded so assured in his ability to change her mind that Lily was astounded by him. After what she said moments ago, he was still determined to change her mind.
No. No more would she be told what to do or how to live her life.
Their wedding photo on the ledge above the fire caught her attention. Moving toward the picture in the silver plated frame, Lily ran her thumb along her laughing face. Wayne looked down on her, with a smile.
What was he thinking? Feeling?
It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered? Without thinking, Lily hurled the picture at the wall just off from his head. The sound of the glass shattering and the frame falling to the floor caused both men to turn and stare at her. Perfect, she gotten their attention.
“I said, no,” she calmly said, walking toward them.
Lily glanced at the man and then at her husband and pushed past them to leave the room. Placing the envelope on the dresser in the hall as Wayne and the man in charge with the music contracts followed her. “Happy Christmas,” she said to her husband, taking the keys from the hook as she left.
Wayne followed her, as she knew he would. Lily knew Wayne wouldn't be able to resist and demand to have control with the final word.
“Where are you going?” He spun her around and pressed her against the car. Any other time, she’d be aroused. If anything, she felt empty.
“I told you I was leaving.” She pushed him away and got in the car.
Lily started the engine and drove out of the drive. She chanted to herself what she was doing was the right thing.
Tears misted her eyes, and she didn’t watch what she was doing, going round a curve, and then through town. She stopped the car to get out and clear her thoughts. Her grief was so bad. Darkness claimed her as someone shouted from across the road.