Love LockDown (26 page)

I look in the full length mirror on the bathroom wall, my skin radiant and golden against the gold of the dress.

“You look like a real princess, Abbi.” I look into Maria’s reflection behind me, the tears in her eyes clearly evident.

“Don’t cry, you’ll start me off, my pregnancy hormones are playing havoc on me today and I can’t take anymore crying.” She hugs me tightly and kisses my cheek.

“Thank you for being such a good friend Abbi, you’ve helped me through such a  difficult time in my life, brought me back from the pits of hell to the happy old me I once was, you’ve shown me the time of my life. I couldn’t have done it without you and my Ant. Happy birthday sweetheart.”

“No you and Leighton have helped me. I’d never had a real long term friend before you; you make my life so easy and fun. I love you for everything you have done for me.”

We hug once more, refusing to let my tears fall and ruin my perfectly applied make-up.

We exit the bathroom into the bedroom to find all of the beauticians and hairdressers gone and a box on the bed, atop it a note.

Lifting the note I read it;

My beautiful Abigail,

Today you are twenty two. I shall spend my life treating you as the

 Princess you are. Today is for you my beautiful girl.

Meet me at the top of the stairs at eight pm.

Your Prince Charming x

“That’s so sweet. What’s in the box?” Maria asks me excitedly.

I lift the top off of the box to find the most stunning pair of golden satin high heeled pumps.

“I am so nicking them after this.”

I slap her arm playfully “You think.” I tell her laughing at her attempt to try and nab them from the box without me seeing.

“Right its five to eight, you need to get those shoes on and be at the stairs before Leighton runs away without you.” She bends down and places the shoes at my feet, and then stands to let me lean on her whilst I put them on.

“I need them Abbi, I might die if I do not have them soon.” she dramatically informs me causing me to laugh hardly.

“Such melodramatics, you need to go and get dressed, unless you’re going to my birthday party in your dressing gown. As much as I love the look, and so would your men, I don’t think they’d appreciate everybody seeing you like that.” I tell her patting her arse to shoo her along.

“Okay I’m going. Now go and find prince charming.” She disappears into my bathroom again to get her dress on.

I smooth my hands over my body, taking a deep breath and then I open my bedroom door.

 Chapter Twenty-Three

I walk the length of the landing, passing my beautiful baby’s nursery, and towards the grand staircase.

Getting to the top of it I look around, Leighton nowhere in sight.

I take another calming breath inwards as I hear the door at the end of the opposite wings corridor opening.

Emerging from within the darkness of the room my man comes to me. Dressed in a beautiful tailored tuxedo, with a tailcoat, he bows to me.

“Good evening Princess. You look utterly Breathtaking.”

I blush at his statement, feeling the head on my cheeks spread throughout my body. I carry on the obvious theme for this evening and curtsy my date.

“Good evening my Prince, you look devilishly handsome yourself.”

He kisses my cheek softly and then offers the crook of his arm to me. I loop my arm through his and let him lead me.

We take the red carpeted stairs down to the lower landing. Reaching the bottom he stops me and turns me to face him.

Holding a large velvet box out to me, he opens it up to reveal a striking yellow diamond necklace. The same shade of yellow as my ball gown, the stone glittering in the chandelier lights of the hallway. I reach to touch the gem, but Leighton snaps the lid closed.

I jump at the sudden movement “Sorry I’ve just always wanted to do that.” He laughs at me and re-opens the box.

“Leighton, it’s stunning.” I observe the large stone, surrounded by smaller clear crystal diamonds.

“Let me.” he takes the necklace from its hold and places the box on a nearby table. Turning me around he places the necklace in front of my neck, then brings it around and clasps it closed. Moving my hair from within the trap the chain had made, he gently kisses and sucks at my neck.

“You are simply exquisite Abigail. Tonight you will be my Belle. The party awaits you Princess.” He places his hand on my back and guides me through the mansion towards the ballroom.

The doors to the ballroom are closed tightly shut when we get there, no sounds, no movements, and no sign of human life anywhere.

“Where is everyone?” I ask him, slightly confused. Wasn’t this supposed to be a party.

“You’ll see angel.” With that the ballroom doors open, two tuxedoed men keeping them wide and standing guard at them.

“Good evening Miss Adams, your party.” The right gentleman greets me as both of them gesture with their hands to room ahead of me.

I walk into the elegant fairytale ballroom, filled to capacity with so many familiar faces that I smile to myself.

“Happy Birthday my beautiful Abigail.” Leighton whispers in my ear as he hugs me from behind, “I hope it has been a special and memorable one.”

“Leighton it’s more than I ever imagined. Thank you for every gift you have given me today, but most of all thank you for our beautiful child and mainly you. You are my dream come true and you never cease to amaze me with your beautiful heart.”

“Angel, it is you who never disappoints or ceases to amaze me. So enjoy your party, go on and say hello to your guests.” He pats my backside and ushers me forward.

I’m met, hugged, told Happy Birthday, complemented on my ball gown more times than I care to remember. Every one of my new friends and surrogate family are here in attendance. As usual Maria looks absolutely stunning in her pale blue straight fitted ball gown and even more beautiful with a devil twin hanging off of each arm.

All of Leighton’s men are here, including Scott, the Bulgarian whore, Kalina, holding onto him, but even her attendance couldn’t dampen my wonderful mood. Antonio looks rather delicious in his tux (my naughty mind imagining him joining the two of us in bed), Thomas and Nate stand together, a little too close for ‘friends’ as everyone else thinks they are, but oh well they have nothing to hide in my opinion.

Of course when I look once again at Maria and the twins, they both looking stunningly perfect next to their girlfriend.

“Thank you so much for coming this evening, guys, I love you all so much.” I kiss each and every one of their cheeks. When I reach Thomas and Nate I lean in so they both can hear me as I whisper into their ears “You two look so fucking good together. I wish you would let everyone see how perfect you are together.” I shrug; wink at them and then move on, leaving them looking to each other, and furiously blushing.

*****

I spend the first two hours of my party meeting and greeting everyone, having some of the non-alcoholic wine I have discreetly been pouring, trying to mask my pregnancy until it is time to announce it, dancing with my friends and gorging myself on the delicious array of buffet food set out, my growing baby kicking and moving around, begging for more every time I swallow. I swear I even see a few people staring at me like I am some sort of wild boar, because of the rate I am getting through the food.

At ten o’clock there is a squeak from the microphone set up on the manmade stage at one end of the room. Leighton up there and starts talking to the guests “Everybody, if you could please make your way over here, and my beautiful girlfriend if you could come here for me.” he says smiling as I walk through the crowd to the stage.

Leighton reaches down and takes my hand helping me up the steps to the raised platform. Moving me to the center of the stage he turns back to the audience.

“Good evening everyone, I hope you’re all having a wonderful time celebrating Abigail’s birthday with us.” Catcalls come from the audience whooping me and screaming their happy birthdays. A shit eating grin breaks my face, my heart swelling with happiness at the realisation of how many loving people I now have in my life.

“I have known Abbi for eight months now, and they have been the best eight months of my life. This beautiful women you see in front of you, she hasn’t always so confident and radiant, but I am proud and truly honored to have been the one to help her transform into this angel you see before you now. I have bought Abbi many presents for her birthday today, but I’m not done.” He finishes talking to the crowd and turns to me, facing me, taking hold of my hands in front of him.

“Abigail Adams, from the day I met you, I have changed, you have changed me. I used to wake up every morning wondering what the point was. Why was I here? I didn’t have anything to live for and I had nothing to be thankful for. Ever since I met you eight months ago I thank God and every angel in the heavens above for meeting you. You complete me, you make me want to live and breathe. You are everything I am Abigail and I love you so damn much it hurts sometimes.” He bends to one knee in front of me, in front of the entire crowded room and reaches into his tuxedo jacket pocket and pulls a small velvet box from within. Opening the box he reveals the most beautiful princess cut diamond ring I had ever seen, not that I’d seen many. The damn thing brings burning tears to my eyes.

Leighton takes my left hand, kissing the top of it and continues talking to me, “Baby, I want to wake to your face every day, hold you close to me when I sleep and spend every minute of every day loving you the way you deserve. Abigail Adams would you do the enormous honor of becoming my wife?” the tears that are filling my eyes escape and pour down my perfectly made up face.

I collapse to my knees in front of Leighton, clasping his face in both of my hands, kissing his lips harshly and hugging him close to me. I lean into his ear and whisper my answer “Yes Leighton, yes, I’ll be your wife.” He looks into my watering eyes and smiles at me. Kissing me and then sliding the ring onto my left ring finger.

“SHE SAID YES!” he shouts to the guests, a return of screams and shouts, congratulations and best wishes from below fixes my once broken heart, filling the cracks and completing it.

“That is by far the best present you have given me today.” I tell him looking to the audience. I get to my feet and walk to the stand taking the microphone from it’s hold; I address my friends and family.

“Everybody thank you so much for being here. You are truly the best friends and family a girl could ask for, you have fixed me and I don’t know how I could ever repay you for how complete you all make me feel. There is only three people I wish could be here today to celebrate my birthday with me, my beautiful friend David, resting in peace in the heavens and the only parents I have known, Lisa and Carl. I wish they could be here, but I suppose you bunch will have to do.” I raise my glass and wink to everyone, “A toast to you all, for being the amazing and incredible people you are. I love you all.” I drink my fake Champagne and watch my party in absolute bliss, seeing everyone clinking glasses with each other.

Leighton takes the microphone from me and addresses me once more, “Abigail, I have one more present for you, I told you I’d give you the moon, the stars and everything you would ever want. So baby, turn yourself around and say hello to your last gift. From me to you angel, I love you so much.” confusion plasters my face, the audience clearly suffering the same mixed up brain waves, their faces contort and serious. Then a few surprised faces stare back at me, I turn my body slowly. Standing at the back of the stage are two familiar people, the two people I thought I would never see again, the wonderful couple who pulled me from the deepest depths of despair and mended the broken pieces of my childhood, the loving man and woman who were my parents. Lisa and Carl are standing there, in the ballroom, in front of me, they are really there.

I fall to the floor in an explosion of sobs, my head in my hands, my cries uncontrollably loud. I can’t even look at them, I think if I look up they won’t be here, that I’ve imagined it all, I want to remember seeing them not have the image ruined by a ridiculous dream.

I feel two sets of arms wrap around me. I lift my obvious tears stained face and stare up into the familiar blue eyes of Lisa, the deep Sapphire pools gleaming back at me, her own tears leaking down her rosy cheeks, then I look across to the dark grey eyes of my foster father, Carl, the only man to take the role as father in my eyes, the man who threatened to chop David’s balls off if he hurt me, the guy who grounded me the first time he found me drunk, who gave me pocket money for doing chores and also bought me tampons when I desperately needed them.

“You’re real.” I open my mouth to welcome them, but they are the only words my mouth can say, the only words that will leave.

“And so are you, we looked, we searched forever Abigail, we tried to find you. I’m so sorry baby girl, I’m so sorry we couldn’t find you fast enough. I’ve missed you so much” Lisa cries out as she frames my damp face with her warm, loving hands and rests her forehead to mine.

“You look so beautiful Abigail, so perfect, just as I remember you.” Carl tells me as he takes me from Lisa’s’ grasp and pulls me to him in a firm, tight hug.

“I can’t believe you’re here, I just can’t get over it. How did you find me?” I ask them, still kneeling on the hard floor of the stage.

“We didn’t, we tried, God we tried so hard. Your fiancé found us; he met us and asked us to come tonight to see you again.” I look over to my fiancé standing to the right of my openly displayed breakdown, a shy smile on his perfect face, shrugging lightly at me, in an ‘it was nothing baby’ gesture.

I pull myself from my knees to a standing position. Walking over to him I fling my arms around him, squeezing him as hard as I can.

“I stand corrected, that is the best birthday present you could have ever given me. Thank you so much Leighton. Thank you.” I cry again into his shoulder as his big firm hands sooth my back.