Sliding (The Stone Series) (46 page)

I stand up and walk to my purse. I take one of the pregnancy sticks and
walk back over to the couch and snuggle back onto his lap. He has no clue what
I have in my hand.

“Um, are you happy with our relationship? You know it being just you and
me?”

“Yeees” he says slowly and drawn out, clearly not knowing where I am
going with this.

“What if it wasn’t just you and me?”

“Wait a minute. Are you asking me if I want to have a three way?”

“NO! Oh…NO! That’s not what I’m asking. Why is that what you want? No,
forget about that, we are not having a three way. Wait, just curious here, were
you thinking about another girl or another guy?”

“Gross Brook, come on… a guy. I think you know me a little better than
that by now, no? Please I…I wasn’t thinking about anyone. What the hell is this
all about?”

I take the stick from behind my back and hand it to him closely watching
his face as I say, “I don’t know if it’s going to be a girl or a boy but this
relationship is about to get one person bigger.”

The look on Mac’s face when understanding hits is priceless. As he begins
to smile his eyes begin to water. He can’t talk; he looks like he can’t even breathe.
He hugs me to him burying his face in my hair and breathing in my scent. When
he pulls back his face is wet from his tears. I just hope they are tears of
joy.

“Are you okay with this Brook? I mean I want to have a baby with you so
bad I can die just thinking about it but are you sure? I mean with everything
you’ve been through the last few months and everything you’re about to do with
the workshop and Tate. Oh, fuck Brook, Tate. You’re still married to him. What…?”

“I know, it’s a mess but you know what? This” I say as I touch my belly,
“This baby has given me the strength I need to face him once and for all. I
want to fly to California and deal with Tate before we go to the city. It’s way
over time.”

“I am so fucking in love with you right now. I’m going to call the
airline and switch our flights. We’ll leave on the first one we can get, okay?”

I shake my head and kiss his lips.

“By the way um, how did this happen? I thought you were on the pill?”

I explain it all to him and he laughs. “I guess there’s a silver lining
to everything”

Chapter 13: Closure

Two days later Jonesie and Tara take us to the airport. With hugs, tears
and promises to see each other soon we say a regretful farewell and board the
plane for California. Mac and I travel first class and enjoy some quiet time
cuddled close. We talk about baby names and make plans for our future. We will
be living in New York for at least the next year. I will need to find a doctor
and have an exam shortly after we arrive. I will also have to call my parents
and sister and share the tale of my life. I haven’t spoken to them yet about
everything that has happened, least of all my being pregnant with a man’s baby
who is not my husband.

Mac reads a book on pregnancy and delivery while I sleep with my head on
his shoulder; he is so cute and excited about the baby. I have to admit after
my miscarriage I am still too scared that something can go wrong to get excited
yet but I’m keeping a brave face for his benefit.

Our plane finally lands at Los Angeles National Airport; I must have been
in a fog on the way to the island because I don’t remember that flight taking
this long. Mac hired a driver to take us from the airport to the Malibu Beach
Inn where Tate has been living since leaving Connecticut. We get our bags and
head for the exit. The driver helps Mac load the car; he won’t let me lift
anything heavier than my purse even though I am in the best shape of my life.
The ride feels like an eternity as Mac and I review our plan. I wanted to go to
the hotel alone but Mac won’t hear of it. We have no plans on telling Tate
about our relationship. Mac has begrudgingly agreed to remain in the lobby but
I’m not confident that he’ll be able to keep that promise, I’m not truly sure
that I want him to.
 

When we pull up in front of the Malibu Beach Inn I am suddenly frozen
with fear. I thought I was strong enough to do this but now I am second
guessing myself. I place my hand on my belly and take a deep breath, it renews
my strength. I already feel a pull to this life growing inside me.

Mac warns, “You know you’ve been touching your belly like a pregnant
woman a lot lately? If you do that in front of him he’s going to get
suspicious.”

The Malibu Beach Inn is located along the strip of seashore appropriately
nicknamed “Billionaire’s Beach”. I sometimes forget that Tate can afford
something this amazing and unique. The Inn has less than fifty suites, each
with a private balcony overlooking the breathtaking views and magical sunsets
California has to offer.

I can tell Mac is struggling not to touch me or give any clues to our
relationship. Upon entering we are greeted by a strikingly attractive young man
who I am sure wants to be an actor and is just working here until he is
discovered. He somehow knows who I am and greets me as “Mrs. Taylor” and offers
to show me to Tate’s room. Tate’s power never ceases to amaze and intimidate me
and if I’m being honest it had also always turned me. Mac smiles at me and
informs me in a very professional voice that he will be waiting in the lobby in
case I require his services. Mac sits down in a chair and I can tell his
anxiety level is through the roof. I give him ten minutes before he shows up in
Tate’s room with some elaborate excuse.

Tate is expecting me. My lawyer set up this meeting even though he
advised me that meeting on neutral ground and with representation present would
be a better idea.

When I enter Tate’s suite “California Dreaming” is playing on the iPod in
the docking station. The main living space has two pale yellow couches facing
each other one with a floor to ceiling stone fireplace behind it. There’s a
gigantic flat screen on the wall behind the other couch, a bar, numerous soft
chairs and a coffee table. There is a sliding door and balcony with an amazing
ocean view.

Tate enters from just beyond the main room, I assume from the master
bedroom and the sight of him takes my breath away. He is wearing a black V-neck
t-shirt. It is stretched across his broad shoulders and it makes his chest look
bigger than I remember. He has on loose khaki pants that are hanging
seductively from his hips and his feet are bare. Tate’s hair is still the shiny
black it has always been but he’s wearing it a little shorter. It still flops
into his eyes in front but the back looks much shorter. Just for a moment I
long to run my hands through his hair and tug at it, pulling his lips to mine
like I used to do, like I did millions of times over the years. When our eyes
lock it’s like we can still read each other’s minds. His eyes light up and he
approaches me. I tense when he leans in to kiss me on the cheek but I don’t
pull away.

“Brooklynn, you look amazing. I can’t believe you’re standing here” Tate
says.

“Tate, it’s good to see you too. How have you been?”

“Cut the formal crap baby and come here” he says as he opens his arms and
I step into his embrace. He smells of Tate and the feeling of being in his arms
is so familiar even though it has been so long since he has held me. I sigh and
look up into his eyes. He leans in to kiss me on the lips and I shimmy out of
his arms and am snapped out of the trance he’s doing his best to put on me when
the phone starts to ring. Tate ignores it.

“Tate, we need to talk. I’m not here to get back together. I’m here
because I want you to sign these papers” I tell him as I pull the papers my
lawyer faxed to me before leaving the island and hand them to Tate. The phone
rings again, Tate waves it away this time.

“Things have changed. I can’t trust you; I don’t think I ever knew who
you truly were.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I made a stupid mistake, I fucked up when I was
younger and then that shit with Asia but I swear it would never happen again
baby. I love you. You are my everything. I can’t live without you.”

The phone rings a third time and Tate says it’s probably just work and
can wait.

“You’ve been living without me for a very long time Tate. I don’t want to
argue I just want….” I’m cut off by the sound of the door opening and a very
young, very pretty girl walking in with her arms full of bags and laughing.
She’s on her cell phone, talking and snapping her gum like a twelve year old. I
look at Tate and raise my eyebrows. The gum popping child walks over to Tate
and tries to kiss him but he moves away before she can make contact. She
glances at me and shrugs her shoulders before heading into the master bedroom.

“Well, Tate that says everything now doesn’t it? I’m done! To be honest
I’ve been done now for a long time. I wish you well, I hope you’ll be happy but
it won’t be with me. Here’s how this is going to go. You either sign these
papers now or you don’t but we are getting divorced. My lawyer will be in
touch. Good-bye Tate.”

As I turn to leave Tate grabs my arm and pulls me into his body. Before I
know what is happening he is kissing me, really kissing me, kissing me on the
lips with his tongue trying to get into mine. I put my hands on his chest and
push him backwards breaking our embrace.

“I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry for everything. For not being the man you
deserve, for all the girls, Asia, everything I ever did to disappoint you. I
want you to be happy, you deserve better than me. I’ll sign the papers; you can
have anything you want. Just please believe me that I have always loved you and
I always will. I will never feel for anyone the way I feel for you. You will
always have my heart.”

“I will always love you too Tate. It’s just too bad that instead of
giving me all of you, you gave me your heart but passed your dick around to any
girl who looked your way. What happened to being your first, last and only? Was
I any of those? Good-bye, Tate” I said as I walked out the door not waiting for
his answer.

I expected him to follow me and put up a fight but he didn’t, he just
stood in his suite with his head down looking totally defeated. I rode down in
the elevator alone crying the whole way. When Mac saw me enter the lobby he
rose from his seat and was at my side in a split second. When he saw me crying
he wrapped his arm around my waist and we walked out to the car without a word.

I know Mac wanted to ask for a play by play reenactment of my
conversation with Tate but he was patient. I sat next to him in silence. The
driver brought us back to the airport and while we sat to wait for our flight
to New York Mac broke the silence.

“I saw the girl. She was in the lobby and the Maître De was trying to
stop her from going up to the room. He was yelling at some other staff to call
up to the room but Tate wasn’t answering the phone. I’m sorry Brook.”

“Sorry? Why are you sorry? You didn’t do anything wrong. Nothing has
changed Mac. He’s still sleeping with anything that he can get his hands on; my
guess is he’s always been and always will be.”

Mac smiles at me then can’t wait any longer to ask, “So, are you going to
make me wait until New York to hear what happened up there or what?”

“I rode up to his suite alone in the elevator to find his suite door open
like he was waiting for me. I went in, “California Dreaming” was playing; he’s
always trying to set the scene with music. The suite is amazing; it had two
pale yellow couches facing each other. One of them had a floor to ceiling stone
fireplace behind it. There’s this gigantic flat screen on the wall behind the
other couch, a bar, a bunch of chairs and a coffee table. There was a sliding
door and balcony with an amazing ocean view, not as good as the guest house but
close.”

“Not what I’m asking about darling. I can give a shit what the place
looked like” Mac says, clearly losing his patience.
 

I sigh and continue, “Tate came in when he heard me. I think he’d been in
the bedroom and I’ll be honest the first sight of him took my breath away. Not
because I wanted him, it’s just…I haven’t seen him in so long. I didn’t know
what to expect.”

Mac doesn’t look happy and he growls a little in response.

I decide to leave out what Tate was wearing and that he looked very sexy.
There is no way I’m telling Mac that I pictured myself running my hands through
his hair and tugging at it.

Mac finally manages words, “Did he kiss you hello?”

“I tensed when he came close to me and leaned in to kiss me on the cheek
but I didn’t pull away. I let him kiss me. He told me I looked amazing, I said
it was good to see him and asked him how he’d been. He opened his arms and told
me to stop being so formal then we hugged.”

A sigh escapes Mac and I hate that I have to tell him about the kiss.

“Okay, this is not going to be your favorite part” I begin but we are
interrupted by our flight being called and needing to board the plane. I can
tell Mac is about to crawl out of his skin by the time the flight attendant has
settled us in and finally given us our privacy.

“Get on with it, Brook; you know the part I’m not going to like. Not that
I’ve liked one part of the fucking story yet” Mac snaps.

“So, he kissed me on the lips but I shimmy out of his arms as fast as I
could. I told him we needed to talk and that I was not there to get back
together. I told him all I wanted was for him to sign the papers. I told him
things change, I can’t trust him and that I never knew who he really was.”

“And” Mac prompts when he senses that I’m losing momentum.

“He told me that he made a stupid little mistake, that he fucked up when
we were younger and that it would never happen again. He said he loved me that
he couldn’t live without me.”

“Oh, he’s a fucking piece of work. All while he has some bimbo with fake
tits I’m sure he paid for out shopping so you won’t see her.”

“So you noticed that, did you?”

“Can’t help but notice Brook, did you see those things? I mean come on, I
like a good set but please. Now continue” he demands.

“When I started to tell him that I didn’t want to argue I was cut off by
the big boobed girl on her cell phone snapping her gum like a twelve year old.
I looked at Tate and I think he knew then that the fight was over. She actually
walked over to Tate and tried to kiss him but he moved away and she didn’t even
care, she just glanced at me and shrugged her shoulders before heading into the
bedroom.”

“What did you say to him about her? I thought for sure when I saw her go
up there that she’d be coming down in a body bag. I almost went up in the
elevator with her. Not to piss you off more but she actually approached me in
the lobby” Mac reports. “But I’ll tell you about that after you finish your
story.”

I am so pissed I didn’t kick her tight youthful ass now! After all those
sessions of Krav Maga with Sven I could have really done some damage. I tell
Mac how it ended. That I told Tate I was done and have been for a long time. I
tell him that I wished Tate well, I told him I hoped he’d be happy but it
wouldn’t be with me. I tell Mac that I was proud of myself for standing up to
him and telling him how it was going to go.

“And here’s another part that you are not going to like, really not going
to like. Tate grabbed my arm when I was walking out the door and pulled me into
a kiss before I knew what was happening. He kissed me on the lips; by the time
his tongue tried to get into my mouth I was already pushing him backwards
breaking our embrace.”