Chapter Twelve
“Are you sure you don’t mind me tagging along? I mean maybe you and Carys should be spending this time together,” Sadie suggested when Rhys called to ask if she wanted to join him and his daughter for a horseback riding excursion. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see him; it was just that the last couple times they’d seen each other, things had been awkward. Their last outing together had ended in an argument which she was still smarting over.
They’d only been together a handful of times in the last month because of the accident that claimed Carys’ mother. The burial arrangements had fallen to Rhys because apparently his ex-wife had had a falling out with her parents who wanted nothing further to with it. Sadie had her own problems to deal with. Though her mother was gone, she called nearly every night to update Sadie on her health. To hear Jackie tell it, she was on her deathbed. She didn’t even get to see Rhys on campus because he’d taken a leave of absence to settle things. It was all taking its toll on Sadie.
It didn’t help that Carys was back to being her evil rotten self. The comments were getting more personal and nastier in nature. It was as if the girl really did hate her. Sadie tried to tell herself the girl was just hurting over the loss of her mother, but for every fat and ugly comment she heard, it was getting more difficult to be around the child without wanting to backhand her. Maybe if she would have told Rhys from the get-go about what his precious angel was up to, perhaps it would have been nipped in the bud and she wouldn’t be going through this, but now if she said something she’d probably end up looking like the asshole for not being able to handle a fourteen-year-old child.
Whenever she and Rhys would get together, he would include Carys because she “didn’t want to be alone”. And that last disastrous dinner played back scene for scene in her mind. They’d only gotten past appetizers when his cell phone rang. It was Carys, of course, asking him to come pick her up.
Sadie shuddered as she remembered that night almost a week ago to the day. Rhys gave her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry sweetheart, but we’re going to have to cut this date short. Carys needs me.”
Sadie frowned. “Isn’t she at a sleepover?”
“Yes, but she says she misses me. What am I supposed to say to that?”
“How convenient,” Sadie muttered allowing her bitterness to seep through.
Rhys narrowed his eyes slightly. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Normally she would have kept her mouth shut, but she wasn’t in the mood to be accommodating tonight. “She misses you when we’re on a date, yet you guys see each other almost every day. I barely see you anymore.”
“I’ve tried to make as much time for you as possible. For Christ sake, my daughter is going through a lot and I thought you understood.”
She stared back at him mutinously not saying a word. If he thought she’d cave he could forget about it. She was moody and hungry. That he couldn’t spare her a couple hours for a meal without having to run off the minute Carys called made her wonder why the heck she was fighting so hard to be with him. That she couldn’t feel compassion when she knew Carys and Rhys needed it made her even angrier. She hated herself for feeling this way but couldn’t help it. “I understand. And I think I’ve been more than patient, but I can’t help but wonder why it is that she needs you whenever we get together?”
His mouth fell open. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this. I find it hard to believe the generous woman I thought I knew is being so selfish.”
“Well, if I’m so selfish we might as well call this a night. You don’t want to keep your little angel waiting. As a matter of fact, I’ll save you the trouble of taking me home. I’ll call a cab.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Sadie. Of course, I’ll take you home.”
She grabbed her purse and headed for the front to claim her coat. Sadie stood on the curb looking for numbers of taxi companies on her phone by the time Rhys caught up with her. Grabbing her by the forearm, he turned her around to face him, his face beet red in his apparent anger. “What the hell has gotten into you? Are you kidding? Storming out of the restaurant like that?”
She shrugged, unmoved by his anger. “I thought I was giving you what you wanted—to get to Carys sooner. If I find my own way home that’s one less worry you’ll have.”
“Bullshit. You’re doing this because you’re being childish.”
Sadie cocked a brow. “So I’m being selfish and childish? Fine, then leave me alone.” She wrenched her arm out of his grip and stomped off.
This time when he caught up with her, he grabbed her by both arms and turned her around so quickly she didn’t see his head descend. He ground his lips against hers kissing her hard and deep, pressing his tongue past her slightly parted lips and stealing her breath away. As always when she was in his arms, Sadie melted unable to resist his brand of seduction. She found herself returning his kiss, pushing her tongue forward to meet his, her fingers tangling through his hair. Her body hummed with need and her pussy throbbed.
They held each other several moments before breaking away, gasping for air. Rhys pressed his forehead against hers. “I don’t want to fight with you Sadie. Don’t you think I’m just as disappointed as you are that our evening has been cut short?”
She could only nod, not trusting herself to speak; besides, she suddenly felt so bone-weary she couldn’t think straight. Rhys took her by the hand and led her to the car. Neither one of them spoke the entire car ride to her house. Sadie was okay with that. The steamy kiss they’d shared outside the restaurant changed nothing. He would drop her off and then run to Carys. Would this be the pattern for the rest of their relationship? After a chaste kiss on the cheek when he walked her to the door he left.
He called her a couple days later and they spoke as if everything was okay, but the tension was still there. Now he wanted her to go horseback riding with them? She could think of ten thousand things she’d rather do than spend time with Carys, like shaving her legs with broken glass. But if she told him that she’d really look like an even bigger bitch than she’d acted on their last date.
“Sadie are you still there?” Rhys asked on the other end of the line, snapping her out of her silent musings.
“I’m sorry. Uh, horseback riding? Today?”
“Yes. We’d love for you to join us.”
“Well…I uh, I’m sure you two would rather be alone without me tagging along.”
“Not this again.”
“No. It wasn’t meant like that. I’m just saying I don’t want to intrude.”
“We’d both like you to come. Anyway, it was Carys’s idea. She knows we haven’t seen a lot of each other lately and suggested I invite you.”
“She did?” That didn’t sound like the Carys Sadie had come to know. Could it possibly be that losing her mother changed something in Carys?
“Yes. She’d be very disappointed if you don’t come, as will I. Please. I think this would be a great bonding opportunity for the two of you since she loves horses.”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been on a horse before.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of you. Carys is an expert horsewoman. She’ll show you the ropes.” That was what Sadie was afraid of, but she kept that comment to herself. She honestly didn’t feel like going horseback riding, she was still tired and for the past week, all she felt like doing was sleeping. She wasn’t sure where this fatigue came from. On top of that, she thought she was coming down with some kind of flu bug because she couldn’t keep anything down.
“Rhys, I don’t know. I’m not feeling one hundred percent.”
“Sadie, please, we haven’t seen each other in a nearly a week. I need to see you. After horseback riding, we can do something together. Just you and me.”
“What about Carys?”
“I’ll drop her off at her girlfriend’s house. Please, love. I want to see you.”
It was hard to say no when he pleaded like that.
She sighed. This was going against her better judgment. “Okay.”
“Great. The stables are actually closer to your house so if you wanted to meet us there we could do that, or it’s no problem if we swung by and picked you up.”
“Just give me the directions and I’ll be there.”
* * *
“Are you sure she’ll come, Daddy? I mean she seemed awful upset the last time I saw her. Maybe she doesn’t want me hanging out with you guys.”
Rhys wrapped his arms around his daughter’s shoulder and dropped a kiss on top of her head. “I’m sure that isn’t the case, sweetheart.”
“But…I don’t know, I still feel like she doesn’t like me.”
It wasn’t the first time Carys had said that. A couple weeks ago he would have refuted that statement with absolute certainty, but with Sadie’s strange behavior lately, he didn’t know what the deal was. He didn’t want to believe that, particularly when he was in love with Sadie to the point of distraction, but what the hell was going on with her? “I’m sure she does, honey. It’s a nice thing you’ve done inviting her to join us like this. I know how protective you can be of your horses. You didn’t let your best friend ride either of them for months.”
She smiled. “Guess I’m growing up.”
“And I’m very proud of you for that.” Rhys prayed today would go well. The two of them had the horses saddled and ready to ride by the time Sadie made her way to the stables.
“Sorry, I’m late guys. I took a little nap before coming and slept a little longer than I anticipated.”
“No problem. We’ve just gotten the horses ready.”
Carys walked over to Sadie and handed her a helmet. “Hi, Sadie. Got you a helmet. Safety first.”
Sadie took the helmet from the teenager’s hand with a tight smile. “Thank you. How are you today, Carys?”
“I’m great. And I’m so glad you could make it. Look, Sadie, I know I’m probably not your favorite person, but I appreciate you being so understanding to me since my mother died and…well, I really want us to get along.”
Rhys was proud of his daughter for her maturity. Maybe this would be a good day.
* * *
Sadie gripped her horse for dear life. Any second now she felt like she’d fall off and break her neck. Rhys and Carys had taken nearly a half hour showing her exactly what she needed to do and she was doing well enough as long as her horse went slow. Very slow.
Rhys and Carys were excellent riders and they were patient with her, stopping when she got too far behind. After a while, Rhys’s stallion seemed restless.”
“Why don’t you go ahead of us, Daddy. I’ll hang back here with Sadie. Sir Percival seems restless,” Carys suggested.
Sadie stiffened. She didn’t want to be left alone with Carys.
Rhys raised a brow. “I don’t mind hanging back here. If you want to go ahead you can.”
“Well, I kind of wanted to talk to Sadie alone. You know, girl talk.”
“Oh? Like what?” He asked.
“Like things a teenaged girl would be too embarrassed to talk to her father about.”
“Ahh. I see. Okay. I’ll meet you two at the stream up ahead.”
Sadie wanted to scream out to him that she didn’t want to be left alone at Carys’s mercy, especially when she was riding a creature that could bolt any second.
Rhys trotted away leaving her alone with his daughter.
Carys pulled her horse level with Sadie’s. “Are you enjoying your ride on, Buttercup?” She shot Sadie a bright smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes.
“It’s certainly a different experience. Look, now that your father is out of earshot you can drop the act now. What do you really want to talk to me about? Did you want to warn me off of your father again? Or did you want to comment on my weight?”
“No. Obviously, nothing will make you leave us alone. Why can’t you just go away like the others?” The young girl scowled.
“Because I happen to love your father very much and even though you have been nothing but nasty to me, I’m willing to put up with it for him. Did you think by treating me so poorly that I’d up and run like the other women you probably ran off?”
Carys pouted. “You act like you’re so different from them. You hate me too.”
“Maybe I wouldn’t if you didn’t go out of your way to insult me. Look, Carys, I never set out to be your enemy, but from day one you haven’t made this easy for me. I’ve tried to be your friend, but you wouldn’t let that happen. Well, I’m tired of begging. While I had hoped the two of us could at least be civil for your father’s sake, I no longer care, so please just leave me alone. I don’t want to hear anything you have to say right now.” Sadie’s head swam and a feeling of nausea began to take over. She hoped she could make it to the stream and get off this blasted animal. The last thing she wanted was to be on something that had a mind of its own. Give her an inanimate object like a car any day.
Suddenly Carys moved her horse so close to Sadie’s she was nearly knocked off balance.
“Hey, watch it.” Sadie clung to the reins.
Carys smirked. “I just wanted to give you a little lesson in horsemanship.”
Sadie glared at the girl. “And what lesson is that?”
“To hold on tight.” The teenager fell back slightly, leaned over and gave Sadie’s horse a heavy pat on the rear.
The horse went berserk, rearing on its hind legs. Sadie screamed in panic, wrapping her arms around the horse’s neck. The next thing she knew it took off as if the devil himself was on its tail. “Help me!” The peal of laughter at her back barely registered. She swore if she survived this she’d hurt that little girl.
“Whoa horse, whoa.” Sadie cried as she held on as best as she could but she felt her grip slipping. Tears streamed down her face as she thought of the famous actor who was paralyzed after falling off his horse.
“Sadie!” The sound of another pair of heavy hooves digging into the earth barely registered. Rhys.
He caught up to her and reached over to grab her reins. It sent her horse on its hind legs. This time she couldn’t hold on. Sadie fell off the horse. Throwing her arm to break her fall, she landed with a heavy thud. Something went snap and a rash of fire shot up her arm making her scream.
Rhys was off his horse in an instant. “Sadie!”
Sadie cradled her injured arm, howling, the tears flowing freely. When he reached for her, she flinched away. “Don’t touch me!”
“But Sadie—”
“Stay away from me, Rhys!” She was in enough pain as it was.
“Okay, but your arm…”
“Will be fine as soon as soon as I get away from you and your horrible daughter!” she screamed.
He reared back as if he’d been slapped. “What did you say?”
Sadie ignored him, trying to get up, but the pain in her arm and backside hurt like a son of a bitch. Rhys helped her up, but she immediately pulled herself out of his arms. She turned to see Carys approaching. The girl was white as a sheet. She even looked a bit remorseful, but Sadie was beyond caring, with the last bit of strength in her reservoir, she stormed over to the teenager and with the last bit of strength in her reserve she reared her good hand back and smacked the shit out of her tormenter. “You little bitch!”
Carys went reeling back.
“Sadie! What the fuck has gotten into you?” Rhys demanded.
“Some sense! You two can go fuck yourselves!” She walked away from him where she vomited, emptying the contents of her belly on the ground, and promptly passed out afterward.
* * *
Sadie woke up in the hospital with her arm in a soft cast on her injured arm and an IV drip sticking out of her other one. Rhys sat by her bedside. There was grim expression on his face and it all came back to her. She didn’t understand how she’d gotten here but then it all came back to her. Carys had finally succeeded in pushing her to the edge. Sadie abhorred violence and while she was ashamed of her actions, she wasn’t as sorry about it as she should have been. With that came the realization that this was the end of her and Rhys.
She ran tongue of parched lips. “How long have I been out?”
“A couple hours. The doctor gave you a light sedative and set your arm. Luckily it was a clean break. He also said you were dehydrated. You should take better care of yourself. I called your sister, who should be here any minute.”
Sadie turned her head away from him, unable to meet his gaze.
“Why Sadie?”
She didn’t need clarification to understand what he was asking.
“I’m sorry it happened,” she spoke without looking at him.
“Seriously? Is that all you can say? You assault a fourteen-year-old girl and all you have to say is sorry?”
“Assault is pretty harsh, but if that what you’d like to call it, fine. Are you going to press charges?”
“If I were in my right mind, I would, but I’m not going to believe the woman I love and who I thought loved me would snap like that without some reason. Carys didn’t deserve that. She’s bent over backward to be your friend. Are you really jealous of my daughter?”
Sadie didn’t have the strength to argue. “Well, I guess it’s like you suspected. I don’t like your daughter. I never will so let’s just call this thing quits.”
“You slap my daughter unprovoked, and you’re the one who’s breaking up with me?”
“Yep.”
“I thought you were different. That you actually cared about me, that you loved me.”
Sadie wanted to cry out that she did, but pride wouldn’t allow it. It was either her or Carys and at the end of day, she should have known from the beginning there was no contest. Her heart was breaking in tiny pieces, but she had to let Rhys go. Maybe one day Carys would mature enough to allow him to find someone to love without interference, but she realized she wasn’t that woman.
She didn’t say anything.
“So that’s it then?”
“Guess so.”
He sighed. “I suppose it’s for the best. I would never have trusted you around her again anyway. Guess next time, I’ll listen to my daughter when she has concerns. I certainly should have listened to her about you.” He stood up and stalked to the door.
She couldn’t bring herself to look at him, concentrating too hard on holding back tears.
He halted at the door. “I don’t know why I never saw what a bitch you are. Guess you had me fooled.”
It was almost as if he wanted her to react but she didn’t have it in her.
Just then Lily showed up. “Excuse me? What the hell did you call my sister? I almost had to put my foot up your brother’s ass this week, I’ll be much obliged to follow through with you.”
Rhys rolled his eyes before storming off.
Lily rushed to Sadie’s bedside. “Oh, honey, what happened?”
Sadie told her sister the day’s events and then broke into body-shaking sobs.
Lily held and rocked her, careful of Sadie’s broken arm. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m here now. I should have known that man was no good considering who his brother is. You don’t need him or his juvenile delinquent daughter.”
The door opened again, and a nurse with a clipboard walked in. “Ah, glad to see you’re up. How are you feeling? Is the sedative wearing off?”
Sadie shook her head, still too choked with emotion to speak.
“Well, other than the dehydration and the arm, you should be fine. You have a bruised tall bone that may require a rubber donut but that shouldn’t give you too much problem. The good news is, your baby is fine.”
The sisters stiffened. “Baby?” they said in unison.
The nurse frowned and looked at the chart again. “The chart says you’re nearly three months along, or at least that’s according to your blood work.”
“But that’s not possible. I’ve had regular periods.”
“Hmm, I’ll check with the doctor. I’ll be back.”
Could her day possibly get any worse?
An hour later after she’d spoken with the doctor, Lily tried her best to calm Sadie down.
“What am I going to do? A baby needs two parents. I can’t tell Rhys. And there’s no way I could have a baby and take it anywhere near that maniac daughter of his. If she tried to kill me, there’s no telling what she’d do to a helpless baby. She’s a future serial killer in the making!” Sadie started to cry again.
“You’re getting hysterical sis, and you don’t need that in your condition. It will be all right. We’ll work it out. I’ll help you out in any way I can. We’ll get through this together. I promise. As a matter of fact…” Lily whipped out her cell phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Calling reinforcements.”
Lily punched a series of numbers into her phone and waited. “Hey Daisy, it's Lily. How fast do you think you can get a flight to Raleigh-Durham airport?”
She waited for a reply. “Yep, it’s Sadie. If you can get here by tomorrow morning that would be even better. I think Rose should be back in New York by now and I’ll call her as soon as I get off the phone with you.”
Sadie groaned inwardly. She adored her older sisters, but they all coddled her as if she were still a kid. To have all three of them around fussing over her would be an ordeal in itself, but she knew they meant well so she didn’t voice her concern.
Lily disconnected the phone and dialed who Sadie assumed was Rose and proceeded to have a similar conversation. Once she was done, Lily patted her hand. “Help is on the way.”