After the Internship: A Novella (The Intern #4) (14 page)

Chapter
Twenty

Cecilia

New Beginnings

I CAN’T STOP fidgeting in my seat as I wait for Ava. The only thing I know about her is that she’s related to me somehow and
that she’s flying in from Florida.

I stand up the moment I see her red blazer. That’s our code so I knew who I was looking for
; however, she didn’t look anything like I had expected.

She’s wearing a head bandana where her hair should be, but you can clearly see she’s bald. She’s pasty white, which seems odd since she lives around sunny beaches.

“Cecilia?” she asks, the closer she approaches.

I nod and smile. “Yes. Ava?”

“It’s so great meeting you!” She surprises me by swarming me in a big hug. “You look just like your father.” She takes me off guard, but I just swallow and nod in return. We both take a seat, sitting across from each other.

After a few moments of awkward silence, I just come out with it.
“Are you going to tell me how you know my father? It’s been weighing on me and I need to know,” I ask cautiously, getting right to the point of this whole meeting.

“Of course.” She smiles, adjusting herself in the chair until she’s comfortable. “We
spent nine months together many years ago.”

“Oh
, my god.” My heart begins racing as I draw my own conclusions.

“Yes, nine months in the womb that is.” She chuckles lightly.

“Wait, what?”

“I’m your dad’s twin sister,” she states matter-of-factly.

“I didn’t know he had a twin sister,” I exclaim, shocked that my mother never brought it up.

“Your mother doesn’t exactly…approve of me.”

“What, why?”

“When they first started dating, I got into some trouble. Okay,
a lot
of trouble.” She laughs lightly to herself. “Your dad had to bail me out a few times financially. After they were engaged, your mother wouldn’t let me borrow anymore money because it all had to go to their wedding. And when I wasn’t invited to the wedding, that’s when I knew I wasn’t wanted. And the last thing I wanted was to get in the middle of their marriage, so I backed away.”

“For over twenty years?” I blurt out. “I’m sure my mom would’ve gotten over it.”

She shrugs. “No, she didn’t. I wasn’t exactly a good egg, Cecilia. I had a little rebellious side to me. Back in my younger years.” She points to her head. “Obviously, I haven’t been for a while now.” She smiles, accepting her fate.

I swallow, nervous to even ask. “Are you sick?”

She nods simply. “Yes. I have been for a while.”

I swallow as the realization of what that means. “Do you have a family in Florida?”

She smiles wide. “Yes, I live there with my husband and two sons, Jackson and Jamison.”

“Two cousins,” I remark, giddily. My mom’s an only child and up to today, I thought my dad was an only child
, as well. “Could I meet them sometime?”

“I don’t see why not. They’re a bit younger than you.”

“Oh, both of them are?”

“Yes, they’re twins.”

“Wow. I had no idea twins ran in the family.”

“Yes, on both sides of the family. So, be careful.” She winks at me. “Fraternal twins can have twins whereas identical twins usually skip a generation.”

“Hmm…I never knew that.”

I offer to buy her a coffee and excuse myself a moment, needing to wrap my brain around everything. There’s something about her that reminds me of myself when I was in high school and college.

I can’t believe my own mother never told me. That’s a long time to hold a grudge on someone.

“So…can I be blunt and ask why
, after all this time, you decided to contact me?”

After sipping her coffee, she sets it down with a serious expression. “I wanted to
see you one more time. I never meet Casey or Nathan. I didn’t want to just barge into their lives and then leave. And once I started seeing your name in the magazines, I took it as a sign for me to contact you and hopefully see you—just one last time”

I give her a puzzling look. “What do you mean one
last time? Aren’t you getting treatment? I could come down and visit you,” I offer.

“They tried treatment, but it spread.”

“Okay, so you need something more intensive? We have really great doctors up here. There’s a huge specialist hospital in Minnesota. I mean, it’s a drive obviously, but they are amazing.” I know this because I had an assignment in one of my health and fitness classes that lead me to research MAYO clinic.

“Sweetie, it’s inoperable.”

“What about chemo?”

“This is my second time getting cancer,” she admits. “My body is tired. It’s spreading too rapidly. They do surgery and I could die anyway. So I chose against it so I could spend the rest of the time I have with my family. And to see you once again.” Her voice is soft, certainty in her tone.

“No,” I retort, angry that she’s just so easily giving up. “That can’t be right. There’s treatment. There’s ways to fight cancer.”

“It’s not always that simple, darling.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to waste precious time on something that isn’t going to work.”

I finally surrender, nodding my head in understanding. “I would’ve given anything to have just a little more time with my dad. But—” Tears begin surfacing. “It’s really not something you tell someone you haven’t seen in twenty years.” I half-laugh as I wipe the tears away. “Especially, since I didn’t have any family growing up. And the one person you looked up to ended up being someone completely different than you thought,” I say, referencing my dad.

“That’s part of what I wanted to talk about, Cecilia. Your father was my hero.”

I sniff, wiping more tears away. “What do you mean?”

“Your dad put me through my first round of treatment when I first got cancer.” I lean forward, wanting to hear more. “Your dad and I continued speaking even though your mother
forbade it. Once he found out I was sick, he said he would do anything to help me.”

Apparently, he literally meant
anything
.

She takes a sip of her coffee and I just continue
to stare at her. Ever since learning the truth about his death, I had often wondered what made him go into gambling in the first place.

“You’re the reason he joined with Ramiro.” It comes out accusingly, but I hadn’t meant it to.

“He just called me up one day and said he was sending me money. And the money just kept coming, which meant I could pay for treatment that my insurance wouldn’t cover. He never told me how he got it.”

I feel my heart racing, the dots finally connecting. “Did you know about Ramiro? Or the gambling? Or the plan?”

“No,” she blurts out. “I read his obituary and only what the local papers said online. I never contacted your mom and figured she wouldn’t care to hear from me.”

“Oh,” I say relieved. “He was addicted to gambling,” I explain. ‘That’s how he got the money.”

“I never knew.”

“Yeah, I didn’t know until a couple years ago,” I offer softly. It felt weird talking about my dad again, but a part of me felt happy that I still could.

“He killed himself,” I say bluntly. “He began losing money and couldn’t pay it.” I lower my head to avoid seeing his reflection in her face. “He killed himself to keep them away from us. He knew they’d come after us if he couldn’t pay up. The insurance money paid them off.” The tears come uncontrollably now, and I don’t even try to stop them. “I miss him so much.”

She rubs the pad of her thumb over my knuckles. “Your dad was a good man, Cecilia.”

I smile as I twirl my empty coffee cup in my other hand. “I know. He really was. I always thought of him as my hero when I was a child.”

“He saved my life,” she says, her words making me lock eyes with her. “However, there isn’t any amount of money in the world that can save me now. But just know, no matter how your dad died, he died a hero. He gave me time and that’s something I could never get back or could thank him enough for
doing. My only regret is not being able to come see him more.”

I squeeze her hand in mine, fear obvious in her eyes. “Let’s use the time we have now.”

*   *   *

One Month Later

Ava spent a week with Bentley and me at our house. We Skyped with her husband and sons so I could ‘meet’ them. I never felt an emotional pain before, but meeting Ava and her family was bittersweet. We promised to keep in touch, but I had an uncanny feeling that this promise wouldn’t last long.

After saying goodbye to Ava, it really made me think how I really need to spend time with the people that are important in our lives. It’s easy to make excuses when you’re busy with work and husbands, but I wanted to make sure I put an extra effort into it now.

Mrs. Leighton and I plan to meet up finally. It’s time to finally put this cat pissing fight to rest. I want her involved in our life.

“Cecilia,” she says my name as if it’s a dirty word.

“Hello, Mrs. Leighton,” I say politely, taking a seat across from her. “Thank you for meeting me.”

“Well, I do enjoy their lobster,” she says blankly.

“Before we order, can I please just say something?” She finally looks at me and nods lightly. “You know I love your son. And I understand you love him just as much. Before I met Bentley or even started thinking of settling down, I never dreamed of a big, white wedding. As you know, I was quite focused on my dad and the past. So when Bentley and I got engaged, we started making plans of what we both like and of what we could combine to each other’s tastes. And well, you had other plans, and I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“What was wrong with my ideas?” she asks cautiously.

“Nothing, honestly. They just weren’t what we wanted. You were going for more extravagant and we wanted something more…simple.” I make sure to keep my tone neutral. “I’m sorry we left you out of our wedding, but at the end of the day, we just wanted to be able to commit to each other and be husband and wife.”

She nods lightly, understanding what I’m telling her. “I’m sorry if I came off as being pushy,” she says, moving her silverware around, clearly uncomfortable. “I wasn’t trying to be malicious.”

“Oh, Mrs. Leighton, I would never think that.” I press a palm to my heart. For the first time, I see her actually showing emotion. “I just never knew how to tell you to…back off.”

“Well, your email was sufficient in letting me know,” she says curtly.

My shoulders slump, wishing I could take that back. “I’m very sorry I sent you that. Bentley told me to just be straightforward with you, and I really should’ve told you face to face. I understand you just wanted the best for him and that I didn’t handle the situation properly.”

“Well, thank you, Cecilia. That means a lot to me. I want to have a close relationship with you and Bentley as a couple. It’s important to have a close family.”

I put a hand over my stomach where a small bump has formed. “I couldn’t agree more.”

Chapter
Twenty-One

Bentley

“YOU’RE SURE?”

“Yes.”

“How can you know for sure?” I question, pacing the kitchen.

She pulls six white sticks out of her purse and lays them flat out on the counter. “Because six out of six is a pretty good bet.”

I lean over and examine them. All saying the exact same thing. Positive.

“Aren’t you happy?” she asks, a
hint of disappointment in her voice.

I round the counter and cup her face in both hands. I lean in and briefly graze my lips over hers. “I’m ecstatic. Are you happy?”

Her eyes close on contact as I brush a finger over cheek. “Yes. Very.”

I just flew
back in from L.A. after spending a week there finalizing my contract with several agencies and photographers for Leighton Modeling Co. After discussing my plan with Angie, she went to her boss, who ate the whole thing up. In fact, he even offered to help me get it off the ground with all of his contacts, as well. Now I could work on my own schedule and only have to travel to meet up with joining companies. It’s a dream to be my own boss instead of having to answer to someone else. It’s still new, and we haven’t opened up to prospective clients yet, but we will be in the next six months or so.

“I found
out right after you left,” she admits. “I almost told your mother when we met up a couple days ago, but I wore a baggy shirt so she wouldn’t notice.”

“Is it normal to show this early?” I ask with caution.

She scrunches her lips up into a questionable grin. “No, not really. I’d only be about five or six weeks. So, it’s probably just bloating.”

I raise my brows, feeling very out of my league. “I’m going to have to download some books if I’m going to have any clue on what I’m doing.”

She laughs lightly. “You and me both.”

I cover her mouth with mine
as I soak up her taste and massage my tongue with hers. I stand in between her legs as her arms wrap around me and pull me in closer to her. Her body melts into mine as a moan escapes her lips. Her nails dig into the muscles of my back as I pull her off the barstool and wrap her legs around me.

I walk us to our bedroom, slamming the door shut with my foot. I lay her on the mattress and immediately crawl over her, ripping clothing off that’s blocking off any access.

I assist in pulling my pants down and tearing my shirt off. I’ve missed her all week, but now this was a raw hunger that was making me need her right now.

I stand on the edge of the bed and pull her legs to the edge, letting them hang
over the edge. She smiles up at me as I tease her entrance with my cock. I stroke it with one hand as I rub her clit with the other.

I push inside her, deep and forcefully
, until I fill her completely. She gasps as I push in even deeper.

“Am I hurting you?” I ask, worried I’ve somehow hurt the baby.

“No…no, don’t stop. Keep going,” she pleads. Her eyes roll to the back of her head as I thrust against her upon her request.

I grab both of her wrists with my hands and pin them down on the mattress on each side of her. I keep up with the rhythm as I hold her upper body hostage with my arms and her lower body with my hips. She’s completely exposed and vulnerable as I push all the pleasure I can into her.

“Yes. God, yes.”

“Spread your hips wider, baby.” She complies, expanding her hips for me. “Relax, sweetheart.”
Her body eases into the bed, her back lying flat. I pull out of her slightly, letting my cock rest right on her swollen lips before I slam back into her. She gasps, her head falling back as she screams out. “Fucking perfect,” I growl.

*   *   *

“Oh, I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve invited the girls over tonight,” she says as she rummages through the fridge and freezer, digging out a pre-cut package of cookie dough, a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, and a variety of soda. She then walks over to the pantry and grabs two bags of popcorn and a bag of potato chips.

“I hope you plan to share some of that with your guests,” I mock. “Or if not—”

She spins around and scowls at me. “Yes, they are for everyone. However, what I call dibs on is none of your business,” she teases right back.

“How many people are coming over?” I question, wondering if I’m going to be hiding out in my office all night instead. I can only take so much girl gossip.

“Just Cora, Katelynn, Casey, and my mom. Oh, and I think Casey is bringing Jason. And Katelynn and Brandon are still in that honeymoon planning-the-wedding stage, so I’m sure she’ll drag him, too.”

I sigh. “Well, at least I won’t be the only guy. I might even stick around.”

“Good, you should. It’s the new season of Celebrity Rehab.”

I narrow my brows at her. “You can’t be serious.”

“Don’t make fun of my guilty pleasures.” She points a wooden spoon at me as she continues to scowl at me. “Reality TV is my weakness.”

“That’s an understatement.” I laugh.

She throws a bag of popcorn at my face. “Be useful. Pop that in.” Her scowl turns into a sweet smile. “I mean…
please
.”

“Is this what I get to look forward to for the next seven to eight months?”
I ask, sardonically. “I mean…
enjoy
for the next seven to eight months. I’m going to enjoy every moment.” I shoot her an over the top grin.

“
You’re lucky you’re cute, mister.”

The
doorbell rings and saves me from what I’m sure was going to be me groveling on my hands and knees.

“Hello—” I begin, but am soon interrupted by Cora barging in and walking right passed me. I wave my arm out, now speaking to no one. “Well, come on in.”

I hear her walking to the kitchen, apparently eager to talk to Ceci. I shut the door behind me when I hear Ceci squeal.

“Son-of-a-bitch!”

I walk to where they both are hovering over a piece of paper. “What is it?”

She holds up a printed copy of some online tabloid gossip magazine. “How is this possible?”

I grab it from her and read the header, “Bentley and Ceci Leighton expecting! Parents are over-joyed!”

“What the hell?”
We haven’t had to deal with the press in quite some time. Ever since I stopped modeling all together, they haven’t been interested, but now apparently they were. “How’s that possible?”

“It’s true?” Cora gasps, breaking my stare. And
apparently, Ceci hadn’t told Cora yet.

“
Yes, Cora. It’s true. I’m expecting.” I pat my stomach, teasing her and getting a smack in the arm in return.

“Shut up, Bentley,” she hisses, but I see a hint of a smile on her face. “Are you really?” She turns and faces Ceci who’s smiling ear to ear, unable to hide her excitement.

“Yes!” she responds, giddily. “But, I literally only found out a week ago. I have no idea how they even found out.” She waves a hand in the air, expressing her annoyance. “I just told Bentley tonight.”

“You found out a week ago and didn’t tell me?” she scolds. “You took all the fun out of it for me.” I laugh, shaking my head. “Hey,” Cora groans, pointing a finger at me. “She watched me pee on a stick!
”

“I have like two left if you
wanna reenact it,” Ceci offers, teasingly. “I actually do have to pee.” She laughs.

Cora cocks her head to the side. “No, I’ll pass on that. But how exciting we’re pregnant at the same time!” She wraps her arms ar
ound Ceci and hugs her. “Our kids will definitely be best friends.”

“I’m going to let you girls have your night and I’ll go work in my office,” I say, but Cora quickly cuts me off.

“No, you can’t. Simon is coming over. The only way I could talk him into it was that I said you’d be here.”

I shoot her a disapproving look, but give in already. “All right, fine.” I sigh. “I’ll make the popcorn.” I flash a fake smile. “Oh, who did you
have buy the tests for you?” I ask Ceci, pressing the popcorn button on the microwave.

She gives me a puzzling
expression, as she slowly answers, “No one. Why?”

“Well, that’s probably how they found out. Maybe an employee saw you and leaked it to the press. People will do anything for a dollar,” I remind her. “You have to be careful.”

Although I wasn’t in my old career, people were still obsessed with digging into our private lives. I’m not sure if that’s ever going to go away as long as I’m a Leighton.

*   *   *

Our living room is packed with people sitting on the floor and couch as Ceci flips the right channel on.

Since the news was leaked anyway, I tell Ceci she should tell her mom and friends so they aren’t finding out like Cora did.

We make eye contact from across the room as I bring in another bowl of popcorn. I nod in agreement with her silent question of if we should say something now or later.

“So,” Ceci begins, getting all their attention.
I walk over to where she’s sitting on the loveseat. “Bentley and I found out some news and we want to be the first ones to tell you before you hear it.”

I watch Ceci’s mom, her face a mixture of fear and excitement. Although they haven’t always had the best relationship, I know it’s been a concern of hers that I’d take her daughter out of the state and make it impossible for her to see Ceci. I never wanted that, which was part of the reason for wanting to retire from modeling.

“We found out we’re expecting,” she finally blurts out.

A mixture of cries and squeals echo the room. Katelynn jumps up almost immediately as tears run down her mom’s cheeks.

“Am I the only one not pregnant right now?” Katelynn cries jokingly. I turn and catch Brandon’s scared expression.

“Not me!” Ceci’s mom says with a smile. “But I’m surely excited you are, baby.” She wraps her arms around Ceci. Watching them be close again makes this all more surreal
and as if things are starting to fall into place.

“Well, at least I get to be an aunt to two
adorable babies now.” Katelynn smiles. “Just don’t give me the water you two are clearly drinking.”

Once everyone has settled from the news, Ceci turns the show back on.
Apparently, it’s the season premier, and it’s when all the new celebrities are announced.

“Oh. My. God!” Ceci all but yells, leaning on the edge of the couch. “Is that…is that freaking Hannah?”

I was barely paying attention before, so when she yells out Hannah’s name, my face immediately snaps up.

“Wait,
the
Hannah? Conniving, manipulating, and life ruining—Hannah?” Cora rambles off, her eyes glued to the TV for confirmation.

Simon and Brandon are all sitting back wondering what all the fuss is about when I finally clue them in.

“Yes, that’s her.”

“How is that possible? She’s not famous,” Katelynn asks, popping a piece of popcorn in her mouth. “More times than not it’s celebs I barely know, but
was Hannah ever cast in anything?”

“She did a few times before she got real bad and went into rehab. Once she got addicted, her career nose-dived. That’s when she
went into rehab.”

“And apparently a good one!” Cora chimes in. “Talk about killing two birds with one stone,” she says, referencing to the fact that now she was on TV
even though she’s battling her addiction.

“Well, I hope it helps her at least. I hope she can get clean for her sake,” Ceci adds, genuinely. I smile at her, deeply thankful that my wife can be the stronger one and forgive although Hannah doesn’t deserve it.

Half way through, the doorbell rings so I get up and greet Casey. “Oh, my god, what did I miss?” She barges through me, leaving Jason at the door.

“Is there a sign or something that says ignore the greeter?” I ask
although she’s long gone. “Hey, man. Come on in. The party’s in there.” I nod toward the living room. I pat him on the shoulder before adding. “Oh, warning. Ceci’s pregnant and Hannah’s on Celebrity Rehab. Be prepared for Casey to freak out,” I warn and wink at him.

They’ve been ‘casually’ dating according to Casey, but from what I hear from Ceci, they spend every free moment together.
However, I know this translates into more than just casually dating, which makes me truly happy for them both. It makes me much more comfortable knowing Jason is just her friend and co-worker that she can confide in without any emotions brewing to the surface. And now that I’ve gotten to know him, I really don’t mind him being around. It’s good she has both girl and guy friends. Makes me feel a bit less guilty when I still have to travel.

“Oh
, my god!”

There it is.

I walk in to Casey hugging her sister and squealing obnoxiously.

“Hey, be careful with my wife. That’s my baby in there you’re squeezing the hell out of.”