I begin slamming cabinets and drawers as I pull out the plates and silverware in order to set the table. Even though my heart is racing from the thought of a confrontation later on, I’m still nervous, yet pissed at the same time.
I’m choosing to let my anger override any fear I have of being ganged up on. They just have no motherfucking clue what the last three years have been like for me.
Do they care? Probably not. The lot of them are as selfish as a fucking silver-spooned-fed-rich kid. But, at the same time, I love every fucking one of them.
They had my unwavering dedication for years, yet they’re refusing to give me the benefit of the doubt before shooting lasers in my direction and spouting out crap from their mouths.
Holding my head high and my shoulders back with pride, I call out that dinner is ready. Then I put all of their plates in front of the chairs around my kitchen table, and bring food out, placing it in the middle on hot pads.
My belongings may not be expensive, but they’re well-maintained and clean, and I plan on keeping things that way.
Dinner was awkward to say the least. The only person who talked to me besides Hadley was Rayne, and that was only to ask me questions about our daughter. Hadley took to the girls right away, and they took to her just as quickly. It felt as if my little girl stepped in and inadvertently took my place with the Wilde siblings. No fault of her own, but it still caused a wound to fester in my chest. As we said goodnight to the Wilde sisters, they never once looked my way as they left my home. Shaking it off, I escort Rayne to the bathroom where he helped me give Hadley a bath. For the first time in a long time, my family and life felt complete.
And isn’t that a bitter pill to swallow.
8
Rayne
I know my sisters’ brush-off of Jacey hurt her immensely. But tonight wasn’t about a friendly reunion between the five of us. It was about nothing more than getting to know Hadley. As the night concluded and I read my girl her favorite nighttime story, then give Annabelle and her several kisses, I quietly step out of Hadley’s room once she is snoring and come face-to-face with Jacey.
“Is she asleep?” Jacey asks me, maneuvering from one foot to the other.
“She is. Look, Jacey, we need to hash a few things out. But in all honesty, I’m wiped the fuck out. Can we meet up tomorrow morning? We’ll have breakfast, then talk. I need a few hours of sleep to process everything.”
“Sounds good. May want to make it more of a brunch. Hadley isn’t an early riser. Plus, I need to hit the grocery store and run a few errands that I put off today,” she advises as she chews on her bottom lip. I hold back the groan that wants to escape me—her biting that lip has always been my undoing. But I have to be strong, hold my ground. Whereas I want to pull her into my arms and get lost in her curvaceous body, I know that now is not the time to go there. I’m still pissed, I’m still hurt, and things between Jacey and I are still up in the air. I’m not sure how I’m feeling where it comes to her, I need a bit to go through my thoughts and filter them. Prioritize them into boxes within my brain.
I don’t want to rush into something that I may end up regretting tomorrow. I’ve done enough of that in the last three years.
“How about I bring breakfast, Jace? You can do that online shopping thing that’s all the rave now and I’ll have my sisters pick it up and deliver it here to you.”
“Will they be adding arsenic to the food? Remind them that Hadley eats that too, would you?” I chuckle at the horror of her words.
“Come on, Jacey. They are a little put-out with you right now, but they’d never intentionally poison you.” Well, Billie might, I’ll make sure to put Sibley and Justine on that task. I don’t think she’d poison Jacey, but I wouldn’t put it past her to spit on it either. She’s hotheaded and acts before thinking sometimes.
“I’m not so sure about that.” She momentarily looks away from me. Then, as she looks back, she says, “Billie’s venom is still quite deadly. I thought she was going to take me out tonight. Put everyone out of their misery of having to see me again.”
“What do you want me to say to that, Jacey? You fucking obliterated us. When we found out you’d hidden Hadley from not only me and them, but our parents and yours, they lost all the respect they ever had for you. That’s on you, not them.”
“I know.” She silently cries. I want to reach up and wipe her tears away, but I’m secretly enjoying watching them fall. She deserves to feel just an iota of how I felt. I want her to suffer in the same manner as I did the day my chest felt like a weighted boulder fell on me, pressing down on the cavity as I belatedly discovered the level of betrayal she bestowed upon me and my family.
Touché, Jacey. “I’ll see you tomorrow, say eleven?”
“That works. See ya tomorrow, Rayne.”
The next morning comes all too damn quickly. My eyes are raw from lack of sleep. My mind drifted all night with thoughts of Jacey and Hadley. My attraction to my ex is still ever present. No matter how angry I am at her, I still want her with a vivacious hunger. Her body has changed since birthing our daughter. Her hips are just a bit wider, perfect grips for my hands as I pound into her from behind. Her tits, dear God, I think they’ve grown a cup size or two. They were already a handful, but now, they’d overfill my mitts.
I want to touch them, caress them, compare them with the memory I have from before. All in due time, first we have to have a heart-to-heart that needs to take place before I can make a move on her. I will get her back, but I need to allow some time for our hearts to heal. I have a lot of making up to do where it comes to her. I know she’s more than likely seen all the tabloids with me and a different woman at every venue. I know that had to gut her, because the thought of anyone else touching her, causes a red sheen to cover my vision.
No, I won’t go there. Even if she’s been with someone else since we parted ways, I have no room to judge or get angry. I’ve done much worse.
I pick up my phone and place an order at the local bakery for breakfast. I get a few breakfast burritos and some sweets; I want to cover all bases. Jacey used to have a sweet tooth, but I’m not sure if she allows Hadley to eat sugar-coated donuts for breakfast.
Anger momentarily sets in again as I think about what all I don’t know when it comes to Hadley. I should know all of these miniscule details.
Jacey
I set my alarm clock and wake up earlier than normal. I’ve already called my assistant and have him covering the shop this morning. I have no meetings lined up for the next several days, so I can afford to play hooky.
I’ve never taken as much as a vacation, and I think this situation calls for some time off. Which should make Hadley extremely happy. She’s been asking for me to take her to the zoo, she loves every animal there.
Maybe Rayne would like to come along as well? I shake that question off. I can’t ask him, we’d be bombarded by fans and paparazzi. I remember those days when we couldn’t even take a stroll without being chased.
That’s the life I don’t want for Hadley. Rayne and I are gonna have to come up with a plan of action for when he has her. Those masses would scare her and I don’t want that for her, and I have a feeling neither would he. He lives in the spotlight of fame and fortune; everyone wants a piece of him.