reckless hearts: vegas nights (5 page)

                                                                                                  ***

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              It was another restless night with Christopher Samuel he had gotten used to being in his father’s arms. She hadn’t needed to ask Brock for his help, he somehow instantly new; father’s instinct.

He had a fever when he arrived and was holding him and rocking him in front of the humidifier, singing to him his favorite song that usually put him to sleep. Bella Rose stood in the doorway asking herself how she could have let him miss out on his son’s life.

She remembered when she was young and her father did the same thing for her, it was a memory she could never forget and she knew her son wouldn’t either.

“You can go to bed, I got this all under control.” He said with a smile and kissed his son on the forehead.

“Too many things to do before I can sleep.” She said, a new album often took most of her night just to write the lyrics with a crying baby.

“There’s more nothing important than sleep, it’s not like it can’t wait until morning.” He knew what she had meant, she was always writing any chance she could get was for writing. She loved it, enjoyed every minute of it, it was a great way to clear her thoughts especially when Brock had been on them.

She wanted to be a family with him, but she could have never taken away the life he had made from him and she could have never come up with the nerve to tell him how she truly felt, it was at that moment she wished more than anything she hadn’t kept her pregnancy a secret from him.

To have her family together was what she always wanted, a lifetime of happiness.

              She went into the bedroom with no intentions of sleeping without knowing Georgiana was outside on the side of the street hidden from sight.

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After the baby had gone to bed, Brock had laid down next to Bella Rose forgetting he was supposed to sleep on the couch. When morning came, Bella Rose couldn’t lie about happy she was to be in his arms, but it was too much for her ,it wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

“What are you doing?” She asked as though she was surprised.

“I don’t know, but I’m not complaining.” Brock said as he gently kissed her.

“Where did we go wrong when we had everything perfect?” She was perfect for him, what they had was more than wonderful; she knew they could have made it work, if they had tried harder.

He didn’t want to ruin what he had with Luanne, but as he was there intimately with the mother of his child he wouldn’t let her cross his mind.

                                                                                             ***

              Luanne knew she was warned to stay clear of  Georgiana, but she was too involved. When the Detective approached her she felt there was more to what he was saying.

              It was obvious to her that Georgiana wasn’t very well liked. As far as her father was concerned, he didn’t want anything to do with Brock when he’d always been sweet and kind to her not a nightmare like Georgiana.

“I’m just watching out for my daughter’s best interest of heart.” Her father called her first thing sun up after the rumors he had heard about Brock.

“I know you are dad, but he is what’s good for me. What’s good for my heart.” Luanne tried telling him all along.

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              “I know you think he is but he’s trouble.” Her father had ran into his kind before when he took Luanne’s mother away from him. “I don’t want to see you hurt.”

Georgiana couldn’t stand seeing Brock with another woman. She paced the apartment floors and threw a glass framed photograph of her and Bella Rose against the wall in a fit full of rage.

If Carl had done what he was supposed to that would have never happened.

                                                                                    ***

              At dinner there was a strange quietness, Luanne and Brock had decided on an elegant restaurant for their anniversary.

“You’ve been quiet since we got here, not in the mood for conversation?” Luanne asked bluntly trying not start a fight between them.

“Have a lot on my mind” He replied.

She said nothing further just enjoyed her meal.

She felt him slipping away and it left her feeling as though she couldn’t breathe. She had to stay focused on Victor Paulson not on the fact that Bella Rose was possibly all over Brock’s thoughts.

She kept playing the conversation on the last tape of Georgiana and Carl. She wasn’t sure it was him until she met him the day in the hospital.

Georgiana had her heart set on getting Bella Rose out of the picture, and framed Victor when her plan didn’t succeed.

              What she needed was proof.

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                                                                               Chapter   Five

Brock knew he had a decision to make, but the thought of being without Luanne, he never imagined he could, and that was what made it more difficult. Having to find the words to break someone’s heart, how do you do that?

              He stood outside on the balcony of his apartment and smiled at the view.

“You can’t live in the past, Bella Rose,” Bella Rose said, “Sometimes you have to find that voice inside of you that says move on.”

Bella Rose had always been a motivation to him, always guiding him to where he needed to be. He knew she would end up being more than just a friend.

“I can’t it’s hard to let go, when someone love dies it takes a part of with them.” He said trying to hold back the tears.

“You’re girlfriend meant a lot to you and I know you must have meant the world to her, but you can’t change what happened if you could you aren’t supposed to and I know you know that.” Bella Rose’s words comforted him as they walked through the community garden her and Georgiana had started together.

“I know you’re right.” He said taking her by the hand.

It was the start of something new and she was ready.

She accepted it, freely.

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              Her heart felt complete as they finished their afternoon working in the garden and then began a picnic in the park.

“You will heal in time and with my help, you won’t forget her but will forget how broken you are. She spoke softly.

“Being here with you is helping.” He said happily.

It was evident to him he did need to move forward. He couldn’t let himself continue to be in the rut he was in.

He was certain his emotions didn’t affect his decision to be with Bella Rose. They had the same kind of heart and shared the same passion.

He hadn’t been, until his feelings grew stronger, looking at her differently. He saw first how beautiful she was, how beautiful her soul was.

How they were meant for each other

She had told him her dreams, he enjoyed listening to them. She had passion for art and photography and could draw just about anything if she put her mind into it.

She wanted to do good with the world using her art by opening hearts and minds to what they normally wouldn’t, and she knew she could do it.

It was her positive energy that he also loved. She wanted something, she went after it and didn’t hold anything back.

He made the commitment to her he hadn’t done that with any woman.

Bella Rose had changed him, changed him into a person no one thought they would have ever seen. They hoped it would last as did he.

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                                                                                      Chapter Six

Detective Reese could see Luanne was up to something, something he wouldn’t have liked; another mess for him to clean up.

“We got a problem,” Detective Reese called Mickey thought he could have used the warning, “A nosy reporter sticking her business where it doesn’t belong.

“Keep an eye on her, don’t lose her.” Mickey said worriedly.

He knew she had been asking, but didn’t know how much she knew.

Luanne only wanted one thing, justice.

Her next visit with Victor would be the last until his trial, she was quite anxious to see him and tell him she believed in his innocence and why.

She also had Brock on her mind; he was always on her mind especially lately.

“I know it wasn’t you, you were set up. How do you know Georgiana?” Luanne asked curiously something should have asked from the beginning.

“I don’t. Work as bartender in the club she frequents with Bella Rose.” Victor answered what was she getting at.

“Was she there the night Carl was stabbed? Were you working that night?” There had to be a reason why Victor had been chosen.

“Yeah I was I traded shifts I remember that night I messed up her drink order and she made a scene.” It was impossible for him to forget when the bouncer had to throw her out.

“Is there anything else you need to tell me that you’re not?” Now wasn’t the time for Victor to be keeping information from her.

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“I overheard Georgiana and Carl talking in the parking lot about Bella Rose,” Victor answered, “Talking about the plan.”

“Make sense now why they chose you.” She said annoyed.

“I think we have a bigger problem.”  Victor said annoying her more, “A Detective Reese came to me, he might be a cop but he’s a shady cop.”

It was time for their conversation to end.

“What do you mean?” She asked worriedly.

“I have a feeling you’ll be finding out, talk to my lawyer before the trial.” The security guard escorted Victor out of the room.

She was surprised by what he said and had no idea what he meant by what he had just said which complicated things. First thing in the morning he would call she would call his lawyer and tell him everything. It was dangerous more than she thought; a shady cop and Georgiana meant more trouble than she had wanted. She wasn’t going to back down, she wasn’t the type and they weren’t going to get her to. She went back home expecting Brock to be there, it was empty. How she missed him when he was gone. She had thought of asking him to move in but wasn’t sure how to ask the question and how would it have changed things between them.

Bella Rose had badly wished she owned her own studio, she needed to go in and release her stress, but she couldn’t leave Christopher and couldn’t get a hold of Brock, she had too much weighing in on her thoughts that it was making her crazy. She called Georgiana to sit with him just for a few minutes while she rested not realizing what a mistake it was. Georgiana had been angry with Bella Rose for allowing herself to become pregnant with Brock’s baby, she knew there was nothing she could have done about it once it was already done.

It was a struggle for her just to hold him, hold the baby of a man who didn’t love her, didn’t want anything to do with her as she looked into the baby’s eyes she kept seeing Brock, he looked so much like his father. She regretted becoming friends with Bella Rose, she didn’t know in the beginning what would become of their friendship, all she knew she hated being around her.