Crain's Landing (32 page)

I HAD ALWAYS HATED THE
birthday parties my mother planned for me. They were never about me and my interests, the opposite actually. I loved simplistic and quiet, what I got was a three-ring circus with my mother as the lion tamer. The last few years had been perfect, with only a few friends and Peyton. I warned my father that if he told a single soul, he would regret ever opening his mouth. He and Peyton gave me a pretty heart pendant. Peyton and I had a tea party and that was enough for me.

I agreed to let Carolyn throw Peyton her third birthday party. I gave her a modest budget and asked her to please stay within its limits. But as I looked around her backyard today, I had no doubts that my request had fallen on deaf ears.

Grant told everyone how much Peyton loved the Carnival, so Carolyn created a special midway just for the birthday girl. There were pony rides, cotton candy machines, a petting zoo, water rides, and even circus performers walking around. It was no surprise to find Peyton perched on Grant's shoulders as she pointed to each place she wanted to go.

"It's enough to make your heart melt, isn't it?" Lily's soft voice stirred me from my observations.

"It is. He’s so good with kids." My eyes never left the pair as Grant walked around the pony ride, never letting go of my daughter.

"Good thing he's a pediatrician then, huh?" We both laughed at her teasing tone. "No, in all honesty, Uncle Grant is a God around here. He always gets the perfect gifts and he treats each of our kids like they’re his best friend. He’s never too busy for them."

I watched Savannah and Peyton play "Ring Around the Rosie" with Grant and Morgan. To see two grown men dance around in a circle, while holding the tiny hands of two little girls, was magical. Then it hit me.

"Ooh, I’ve seen that look before." Lily nudged my arm as she began to laugh.

"What are you talking about?" I looked at her in shock.

"You, my dear, have the exact same look I have when I see my husband on the floor with our kids. You’re in love with Grant."

Her words were clear and honest, causing me to question my own feelings. "I think you’ve gotten the bleach you use on hair of yours too close to your brain."

"Nice try, sister, my hair is naturally this color."

I rolled my eyes at her as she continued to look at the two men. Could I have progressed to loving Grant? Could I ever love any man? Was I too damaged from the mistrust I had been given from Holden? Only time would tell.

Carolyn rolled out the largest cake I had ever seen. It was made in the shape of a castle, with what looked to be a carnival going on in the courtyard. Savannah and Peyton held hands as they walked closer to the table that displayed the cake.

I nearly cried when Grant picked Peyton up and placed her on a stepstool so she could reach her candles. Savannah pulled on Morgan's shirt until he helped her to stand beside Peyton. Savannah then leaned into Peyton's side, cupped her tiny hands around her ear, and whispered something.

"I have to tell or him won't know!" Peyton shouted at Savannah.

"But if you tell, it won't come true."

Carolyn quickly interceded and huddled the girls together. She quietly asked them what was going on and Savannah whispered in her ear, as well. The look on Carolyn's face was one of joy and delight. "Well, Peyton, go ahead and make a wish, the birthday fairy may just be listening."

She then looked to me and winked. Peyton took a deep breath in, and then blew out her three candles. Everyone clapped as the two girls jumped down and ran off toward the baby animals.

"Do I want to know what that that argument was about?" I questioned Carolyn, who was cutting the cake.

"That’s between me and my granddaughters." Her smile was positively devilish. I chose not to question it any further.

Once the party was wearing down and Peyton had opened all of her presents, Wyatt asked if I would be willing to host a family night at my house. He explained the Crains used to have them at least once a month, but since Grant spent nearly every waking moment with Peyton and me, they hadn't been able to have one. I felt bad for monopolizing all of Grant’s time and insisted on having the next one at my house.

The following Monday, I received a phone call from the director of the public libraries in Atlanta. He had read all the articles that had been running around the country and wanted to meet with me personally. He stated the Board in his town was willing to double whatever Crain’s Landing library was currently paying me if I would come to work for him.

"Mr. Tucker, I’m flattered by the offer, but I assure you, I’m perfectly happy here in Crain’s Landing."

"Yes, well, things do change, and I’ll not accept an answer today. Sleep on it and then call me in a month."

He didn't give me an opportunity to refuse him and ended the call before I could say anything further. I shook my head and returned to my work. Leaving Crain’s Landing wasn't an option for me now, end of discussion.

Saturday morning, I woke up and just knew I should have stayed in bed. First, I’d managed to get my period in the middle of the night. It was much heavier than normal, but I contributed it to a change in birth control. After I had moved to Crain’s Landing, my new insurance didn't cover the one I’d used in New York. I refused to see Martin, so I drove to Charleston and saw a physician was on my insurance. My body just didn’t like the new pill and I planned to talk with the doctor next week.

Second, the toilet in my bathroom decided to back up and I spent nearly an hour fixing. Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, I managed to break the carafe to my coffee maker. I tried several times to clean my house, only to have Peyton screaming at the top of her lungs that she wanted to be held by me.

By the time everyone arrived for family night, I was nearly in tears. Bless Grant's heart; he took Peyton and the rest of the children outside so I could get a shower.

Family game night was nothing short of an amazing good time. We geared the games down so the kids could play right alongside. Morgan hooked up the video game system to the television and all the guys played dance party with the kids. I managed to record some on my phone. The last game we played was Candy Land.

At the end of the evening, we were trying to settle the little ones down so we could put them to bed. Peyton was sitting on Grant's lap; Savannah was beside her on Wyatt's lap. All night long, they seemed to be having an ongoing whisper session. Autumn had gotten onto them several times, but they continued. Peyton had just made her move on the board game when Savannah began to shout.

"Daddy, tell Peyton if Uncle Grant is her daddy, then he can't be her uncle anymore!"

It was just like that scene in the movie, where the record was scratched and everything got quiet. Wyatt turned Savannah around in his lap; she was visibly upset, as was Peyton.

"Baby, where did you hear this?" Wyatt's tone was soft as he tried to comfort his daughter.

"It's true, Daddy. You can't be both." I looked at Grant, who was hugging Peyton tightly in his arms, whispering something into her ear.

"Savannah Ann Cooper, tell Daddy where you heard that." Savannah reached up and whispered into her daddy's ear. Wyatt smiled as he leaned over to Grant and shared with him. Suddenly, Savannah became upset and began hitting Wyatt's chest.

"Don't tell him, Daddy! Then her wish won't come true!" She began to cry as she shouted.

Grant locked eyes with me and I knew what had just happened without him saying a word. Peyton's birthday wish was to have Grant be her daddy. Part of me wanted to run over to him and beg him to say yes to her, but another part of me wanted to drag my daughter out of his arms and run away with her.

The ringing of my doorbell saved me from doing either. Wyatt took Savannah into my bedroom to calm her down as I went to open the door. My only hope was, Tiffany wouldn't be standing on the other side of it. It would have been just like her to show up in the middle of all of this chaos. However, I would have taken Tiffany a thousand times over if it would have changed who was actually standing outside of my house.

"Mom?"

There in all her glory stood my mother, the woman who had betrayed me and my dad, who took my daughter's father away and caused my world to crumble. Just when I thought my life at that moment could get no worse, I noticed Holden had his arm wrapped around her waist.

My motherly instincts kicked in as I shouted for Carolyn. I tried to slam the front door, but my mother was already two steps inside before I could. Carolyn was beside me quicker than humanly possible. "Carolyn, take my baby and go to your house. I don't want her anywhere near this poison!" I tossed in my mother’s direction. Gone were the days where I gave two shits what she thought about me.

"Natalie, really?" My mother began to reprimand me.

"No!" I shouted, planting my entire body only inches from hers, my index finger within millimeters of her nose. "You don't get to come into my home, for any reason! Do you understand me?" My voice was entirely too loud, and I could see saliva being shot from my lips, landing on her perfectly made-up face.

"Natalie, calm down," she again tried to soothe me as she attempted to walk around me.

"Fuck you!" I shouted as I went to stand in front of her again. “Leave!” I screamed, my voice cracking with anger.

"Nat?" Holden's voice caught my attention. I turned to him with nothing but hatred in my eyes. I hated how he shortened my name, told him over and over my name was Natalie, not some little flying bug that annoys people. "I know you're angry, but please, she's pregnant." His words were like ice water on my anger. My mother was pregnant and standing in my living room.

"Well, hello, I'm Jackie," she purred, standing in front of a gape-mouthed Grant. "And your name, handsome?" Her fingers running down his bare, muscular arm. Her voice laden with sex and sin.

I wasn't the least bit surprised at Jackie's flirting. She was beautiful and she knew it. What I
was
floored by, was the way Grant was looking her up and down so intently. He was blatantly checking her out. My anger began to boil. This could not be happening—again. She had deliberately gone behind my back and carried on an affair with Holden. Now she was busy turning the head of Grant—the man I had started to love, the man I had given my body to, the man I had trusted, who Peyton wanted to fill a major role in her little world.

"Okay, how about everyone just take a step back and let's calm down," Martin's calm voice broke the tension. I watched as he motioned for Jackie to sit on the sofa. I stayed firmly rooted in the entry hall. I didn't want her in this house. Pregnant or not, I wanted to throw her out on her ear. I didn't want Holden in the same state as my daughter, either. "Now, why don't we find out why your mother..."

I didn't let him finish. "She isn't my mother!" I clipped.

"Oh, Natalie..." she scoffed. She was now attempting to flirt with Martin, batting her eyes at him, shifting her legs in his direction.

"No! You stopped being my mother the day you decided to crawl into bed with my boyfriend!" I shouted at her.

I looked again at Grant, his eyes still fixed on my mother, staring at her obviously surgically-enhanced breasts. I began to shake with anger. I wouldn't let this happen again. I would not stand and allow my world to be altered by her and the destruction she brought with her.

"Fine, Natalie. Jackie, why are you here?" Martin was still trying to calm things down. Little did he know it wasn't Jackie's presence causing my blood to boil anymore. It was watching Grant devour her body with his eyes. Just like with Holden, she came to conquer.

"Well..." Jackie batted her perfectly sculpted eyebrow, while flipping her shoulder-length hair resting on her designer shirt. She had changed her hair, highlighting and growing it into a different, longer style. Her thin legs were crossed at the knee, with her salon-enhanced fingernails running up and down her thigh, drawing attention to the shiny appendages, giving just a hint of the promise land she held under that skirt. "Holden read the article where my Natalie came to this little town and turned it all around."

I couldn't speak. That stupid article had done nothing but cause me trouble, first with the new job offer, and now with Jackie and Holden showing up.

"Now that we’re here, I see why she’s stuck around." Jackie nibbled seductively on her bottom lip as she looked directly at Grant from beneath her lashes.

"Get out!" I screamed, my voice quaking with emotion. I had heard and witnessed enough, my heart was slowly shattering the longer I stood in the room. With every eye fucking, the woman took everything from me.

"Natalie?" Martin questioned.

"I said get out!" My voice was slightly higher and filled with emotion.

"Oh, Nat, let's catch up," my mother suggested. She licked her lips and kept her hungry gaze on Grant.

My eyes flickered back to Grant; his eyes still locked on Jackie. I could see Lily and Autumn in the dining room, picking up board game pieces. "Leave it!" I shouted at them. Lily's eyes were huge like saucers. Autumn paid me no attention as she kept putting the pieces away. "I said leave it!" I shouted in anger, stomping toward the table and tossing the board games to the floor to prove my point.

"Now, everyone, get the hell out!" My voice ricocheted off the walls. With both of my hands in my hair, I closed my eyes and felt my heart pounding in my head.

"Babe?" Grant's soft voice spoke from behind me. I was too angry—too angry at him, at my mother, at everyone.

I spun around to face him. "You need to leave," I hissed, my eyes locked with his, fury in my voice.

"Natalie..." he tried again, placing his hands on my shoulders.

I threw his hands off me and shouted at him again, pointing toward the door. "I said leave!"

Grant squared his shoulders. If he was challenging me, he’d chosen the wrong day to do it. My chest heaved from exertion and the emotions brewing inside me.

Holden and Jackie scurried out without another word to me, as the game pieces bounced off the wall of my dining room.