The Price of Fame: A Price Novel (The Price Novels Book 2) (14 page)

“Oh yeah.” I handed it to him. “You do it.”

He tore it open and held it where we both could see.

A boy and a girl.

“Well, we were both right,” he said. “Are you shocked?”

“I’m actually glad. That way we have both, and I don’t have to do this again,” I said, rubbing my ever-growing stomach.

He looked at me funny, and I realized that probably hurt his feelings. “Really?”

“Oh, Slayde, can we survive this pregnancy before we start planning out the others? I’m uncomfortable already. Maybe we can talk about it later. My tummy itches. Do you know what it feels like for your skin to be stretched to the point of itching?” He didn’t answer me. “Of course not, and I am ecstatic to be having a boy and a girl all at once. In case we decide not to do it again.”

He smiled and shook his head. “OK, babe, me too.” He stood up and raised his eyebrows at me.

“Yes, you can call your mother.”

He bounded out of the room like a child.

W
e both had a day off, and I wanted to spend the day with Arden. So after getting dressed, we headed out for lunch and to shop. That was the plan.

After leaving the cute little restaurant I’d chosen, we walked down the street to shop on foot. I looked up and saw photographers, but I didn’t think she did. So I didn’t say anything. I grabbed her hand and led her down a different side street than we’d normally take.

She noticed the route change and stopped. “Where are we going?”

I tried to stop her from turning around, knowing that they’d be following us.

“Of course,” she said under her breath as she turned back around.

I grabbed her hand again. “Let’s just enjoy our day.”

“Enjoy being stalked?” she asked.

I smiled at her. “Enjoy being off together. Enjoy this gorgeous day. I was hoping we could look at baby furniture.”

She stopped and her expression became unreadable. “Baby furniture,” she said quietly. I nodded. She looked back at the paparazzi, then at me. I could tell she was thinking. Her nose squenched up, and then her pouty little lips pulled up on both sides.
Finally.
“OK,” she said, looking happy with my idea
.

It wasn’t like her pregnancy was a secret anymore. She was showing, for sure, but that was all that everyone knew, and I knew she wanted to keep it that way.

As soon as we walked into the baby boutique, a thin lady with a blond pixie cut standing behind the counter greeted us. “Well, hello. Can I help you find anything in particular?”

Arden looked around, then back at the door where the vultures waited, watching us through the glass. The woman noticed her concern, went to the front door, and locked it. She joined us again, saying, “Now, what can I help you with?”

Arden looked at me for an answer, but I wanted her to do this. “Everything,” she finally said and smiled.

The lady smiled and pointed toward some comfortable-looking chairs. “How about you have a seat, and I’ll bring over some books, and we will start there. Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Water would be great,” Arden said, and the lady disappeared into the back.

Arden let out a deep breath, and I could see her body relax. Then she looked up at me. “This was a good idea. I’m glad we did this.”

“Me too. I figured since we don’t have a ton of time together that we’d better make use of it while we can.”

The lady was wonderful. She brought over several books and slowly went through things one at a time, not rushing us, even though she’d closed her store to other customers.

We felt like we’d accomplished something when we finally went to leave.

Of course the paparazzi were still there. There were more, actually, but we didn’t let them deter us. Arden, most definitely not giving them anything, held my hand and looked down at the ground as we walked to my car. When she got in, she looked straight ahead like they weren’t even there.

“It’s gonna be like this forever, you know?” she said, sounding seriously bummed.

“Not forever. This I promise.” I smiled at her, but she rolled her eyes.

We’d only gotten about a mile down the road when I heard her stomach growl. I looked over at her. “Babe, are you hungry already?”

She shook her head. “I’m not. It’s your kids. They must have your metabolism, and they are ganging up on me already. You know what they want?”

I couldn’t help but smile. I loved thinking about our future family. “What?”

“Ice cream.”

This shocked me. Arden wasn’t a big sweets eater. “Really?”

“Yes, and not just any ice cream, but pink bubble gum ice cream from Baskin Robbins.”

This also made me laugh and kinda grossed me out. “Well, they will get what they want. That’s for sure. And it doesn’t sound like this is their first time to want that.”

She shook her head, staring out the window. “No, and when you pull up to the drive-through, you can ask them to hand-pack you a pint of it, so we can take it home. And ask them for a spoon, so I can eat some right now.”

“Yes, ma’am,” was all I said.

We decided to stop at my parents’ on our way home. Mom and Dad were both in the kitchen cooking dinner when we walked in. “Hey,” Mom said, giving us both a hug. “What’s this?” she asked, taking the pint of ice cream from Arden.

“Babies wanted ice cream,” Arden said as Mom was walking to the freezer.

We all laughed. “Definitely my grandkids,” Dad said.

“Well, tell them what kind it is, baby,” I teased.

She looked annoyed. “Pink bubble gum.”

Dad said, “Now, that must come from your side of the family. Ice cream isn’t worth it unless it has chocolate or nuts in it.”

“Where have y’all been all day?” Mom asked.

“Picking out baby furniture,” I said.

“Oh, what did you get?”

“Everything, pretty much. Not the bedding yet, because we don’t know what colors we are painting the nursery, but everything else.”

“Will you stay and eat with us? Your father is cooking redfish on the grill with grilled vegetables.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said, and Arden didn’t contest it.

I went outside with Dad while he was grilling. He reached into his outdoor refrigerator and grabbed me a beer. “Thanks,” I said as he handed it to me.

“So, how is baby shopping going?” he asked, closing the grill and taking a seat.

“Good, she pretty much got it handled today.”

“Well, that’s good, I guess.”

“I know you totally loved helping Mom decorate the nursery.” I laughed before taking a pull of my beer.

He turned his baseball cap around and laughed under his breath. “No.” After taking a sip of his beer he said, “That’s your mom’s thing, not mine, but I probably should have helped her.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because I’m an ass, and I was at baseball practice.”

“So she went alone?”

“No, her mom went. It’s not like getting ready for a kid now. We didn’t know what we were bringing home. Just a kid.”

I nodded, kind of understanding that. Even though I highly doubted Dad would have gone unless my mom had thrown a fit. And truth be told, she probably didn’t want him to go because she knew he didn’t want to.

“Well, now we have to figure out where we are going to put it all.”

“You need a bigger house,” he stated.

“I know.”

“You might as well build the damn thing and get it over with. Byron Eubanks is the best. I can get him over here for you.”

“You could?”

“Yeah,” he said, reaching for his phone. “I’ll text him.”

“Thanks,” I said.

“No problem.”

After dinner, we went home, and Arden crawled right into bed. “Will you turn on my bathwater?” she asked.

“Don’t I always?” I smiled at her and did as she asked.

I took a quick shower, and when I came out to tell her that her bathwater was perfect, I found her sound asleep.
Typical.

I brushed my teeth and climbed in next to her and switched on ESPN. I was about to doze off when she sat up, looking a little disoriented. I grabbed her hand. “What’s wrong, baby?”

She looked at me as serious as can be. “I want pie.”

Not sure I heard her correctly, I asked, “Huh?” I was hoping I had heard her wrong because I knew we didn’t have any pie.

“Pie. Strawberry pie from Marie Callender’s.”

“Now?”

She nodded.

I exhaled and got up, grabbing some shorts and a T-shirt. “Do you by any chance know where a Marie Callender’s is?”

She shook her head. “This is a new craving. What is wrong with me?”

She looked so cute. I’d have gone to the moon for strawberry pie if that’s what she wanted. “It’s not you, babe. It’s your kids.” I laughed, and she smiled.

“You’re the best, baby. I love you.”

“I love you too. I will be back.”

It wasn’t but ten thirty, and I knew Mom was still up, so I called her when I got into the car. “Hello,” she said. “Is everything OK?”

“Yes. Do you know where a Marie Callender’s is?”

“A what?”

“A Marie Callender’s restaurant?”

“No, why in the world would you go there?”

“My wife wants strawberry pie from there. Maybe there is somewhere else I can get one.”

Mom almost died laughing. “Oh, son, let me go ahead and save you the trip. If that’s what she wants, you better not bring home something from somewhere else.”

“You think she would know the difference?”

“Hell yes, she would.”

I heard Dad in the background asking, “What are you laughing at?” Mom told him, “Slayde’s on a strawberry-pie run for Arden.” Then I heard Dad laughing too.

“Well, you two enjoy your sleep. I’m about to Google this damn restaurant so I can get my kids their pie.”

“You do that. You may want to get a couple.”

“Bye.” I hung up. I wasn’t finding the humor in my situation at all.

The night only got better. When I finally found the damn restaurant, they were closed. “Well, this is just great.”

But I saw that there were still people in there. I knocked on the glass, but of course they ignored me. “Dammit.”

I Googled it again and called them from outside the restaurant. I saw the employees running around in there, but no one answered. I couldn’t go home without that damn pie. I called again. Then hung up and did it again. After the fifth round, someone finally answered.

“We closed,” she was saying when I interrupted.

“Don’t hang up. Please don’t hang up.”

“Sir, we closed.”

“I know this, but my pregnant wife sent me out here in the middle of the night for pie. And I have to get it. Please let me in.”

“Well, I’m sorry, but we are closed. And we don’t have no more pie.”

“You don’t even know what kind of pie I want.”

“Don’t matter. We don’t have it ’cause we closed.”

“I will give you a hundred bucks for a pie.” She didn’t answer. “Two hundred.”

“Ain’t nobody gonna pay two hundred dollas for no pie.”

“Three hundred.”

“Are you crazy?”

“No, but my wife is, and I need that damn pie. Please! I am begging you to let me in and buy a pie.”

“Is this a joke?” she asked.

“I can assure you that this is no joke. My wife doesn’t joke about pie.”

“Greg, is this you? ’Cause this ain’t funny. We trying to clean up and get outta here. I gotta get home ’fore my momma leave my babies by theyself.”

“Look, I don’t know who Greg is, but if you just let me in, I will give you the money, and you can get home to your kids.”

“Who is this?”

“Slayde.”

“Slayde who?”

Aw shit!
“Does it matter?”

“If you won’t tell me who this is, I ain’t giving you no pie.”

“Slayde Price,” I said.

She started laughing immediately like I knew she would. “Greg, you think you funny. Slayde Price. You never looked nothing like no Slayde Price. Maybe—”

I interrupted her again. “Ma’am, I’m who I say I am. If you will just come to the door, you can see that. Please. I’m begging you. I’ll pay you whatever for the pie.”

She hung up and came to the door, looking out at me. “Oh my God, it’s really you.” She didn’t open the door but turned around and screamed over her shoulder, “Angela, you gotta come here. You ain’t gonna believe this.”

I tapped on the glass, and she looked back at me and unlocked the door. Once I was inside, she locked it behind me.

“Thank you.”

Angela—I was assuming—came out from the back and immediately started screaming and covering her mouth.

I looked at the young woman who had let me in. “Can I get the pie?”

She was still looking at me crazily and smiling, and Angela was saying, “Am I being punked? Is this for real?”

“You’re not being punked, and yes, this is for real. I just need some strawberry pie for my wife.”

“You got a wife?” Angela asked.

“A very pregnant one who sent me out late at night for pie. Do you have strawberry pie?”

“I gotta call my cousin; she ain’t gonna believe this,” said the one who had let me in.

I grabbed her hand. “I really appreciate you letting me in, but I can’t stay. Do you have pie?”

She went to the back and brought me three pies, while Angela and I took selfies for her Facebook and Instagram. I repeated the process with the other woman as well.

“Well, ladies, you’re sweet, and you saved my butt tonight, but I need to pay for these pies and go.”

“Oh, you go on. You don’t owe us anything. We was gonna have to throw them out anyway,” the woman who had answered the phone said.

As much as I was now concerned about feeding my wife these pies, I was out of options. “Uh, thanks.” I threw a hundred-dollar bill on the counter and headed out, but had to ask first: “Are these pies bad or something? I mean, I don’t want my wife to get sick.”

“Aw, nah,” the first girl answered. “They only keep about two days, and we throw them out. They fine. The crust isn’t quite as crisp as they was yesterday, but they fine. They been in the fridge the whole time.”

“Uh, OK,” I said and got the hell out of there.

I
was woken up by my phone ringing. “Ugh!” I groaned. It was my day off, and I wanted to sleep. I picked it up and saw it was my mother. I had been avoiding her for months, and I really didn’t want to talk to her now, but I knew she wouldn’t stop calling, so answered it begrudgingly

“How are you, baby? I haven’t heard from you in a while.”

“I’m fine. Busy with work as usual.” I knew I was being short with her, but I really didn’t care.

“That’s all? Why can’t you ever pick up the phone and call your mother? I hate finding out what’s going on with you via the tabloids.”

“Sorry—it’s not personal. I’m just busy, Mom.”

“Well, it sure feels personal, Arden.” I could tell her feelings were hurt, but our relationship status was her fault. I hadn’t seen my mother since graduation. I’d only spoken to her twice since my wedding, but she had let me know that she was hurt that I didn’t include her.

“Last time I checked, a phone worked both ways.” I yawned and crawled out of bed to go get me some coffee. Even though it was decaf, it still helped my mood to go through the ritual.

“OK, Arden, I guess you’re right. Do you know what you’re having yet?”

I started to tell her no, but that would just be mean. “Yes, but we are kind of keeping it a secret for now. We don’t want the press to know.”

“Does Lexi know?”

I knew that was coming.

“Mom, please don’t be this way. I’ll tell you, but please don’t tell anyone else.”

“Do you expect me not to get my feelings hurt when you confide in his mother but not your own? She was invited to your wedding—hell, she probably paid for it and planned it. I, your own mother, wasn’t even invited.”

“Mom, it was last minute. I’ve told you that ten times, and I didn’t think you would come. You are so busy, and to be quite honest, I didn’t want Kenedy there.”

“Oh, Arden, grow up,” she said.

That really pissed me off. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. You always think it’s me. It’s not me. Yes, I fell in love with and married her ex-boyfriend—whom she cheated on with my boyfriend at the time. So you’re right. I’m a horrible person. Look, I have to go.”

“Emily Arden Simms, please listen a second.”

“My name is Emily Arden Price, and I’m tired of arguing with you.” I was crying, which also totally pissed me off. “That’s why I choose Lexi over you. Because she’s easier to be around, easier to talk to, easier to trust. I can’t do this anymore, Mom. Good-bye.” I hung up. I felt horrible, but I was twenty-six years over this.

Slayde was standing in the kitchen when I hung up the phone. “Your mom?” he asked.

I nodded, and he hugged me and kissed the top of my head but said nothing. His only reaction to my issues with my mother were to listen and say nothing. He was probably a little surprised by my reaction, as I’m sure my mother was, but I needed my space from her. Not a constant reminder of what kind of mother I might be.

My phone rang again. It was Mom, and I let it go to voice mail. She hung up and called right back. Which made me cry harder. Slayde grabbed my phone.

“Hello … I’m sorry, but she doesn’t want to talk … I will … OK, bye.” He set the phone down and walked away.

“What did she say?” I followed him to our room.

“She said she loves you, she wants you to be happy, and if you ever want to talk to her, please call her.”

“You think I’m wrong, don’t you?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“But?” I asked.

“But nothing, baby. That’s your mom, not mine. I just think it bothers you, and I wish you’d talk to her and straighten your feelings out.”

“Well, I’m not there yet, Slayde.”

“Well, where are you?”

“At the moment, I’m pretty all over the place. Part of me wants to completely shut her out so that she can’t hurt me anymore.” My chest rose and fell with the heavy breath that was my realization that I needed my mom. “Then part of me wishes she could be like your mom and be there for me for all the things a mom is supposed to do when you have a baby.” I shook my head. “But she won’t do that. We know she won’t.”

He lifted my chin, so I had to look him in the eyes. “You never know if you don’t give her a shot,” he said quietly, then kissed the tip of my nose.

“I’ll think about it,” I mumbled.

“Good idea.” He kissed me. “I’ve got to go to work. I’ll see you later.”

Milly called and said she was in LA and wanted to meet for lunch. I was so ready to see her. I hadn’t seen her since I’d started showing, and I knew she was going to freak out.

She beat me to the restaurant, and I saw her sitting at the table, twirling a strand of her curly auburn hair around her finger as she played on her phone. She stood up when she saw me and bounded toward me.

“You are so stinking cute, A,” she screamed. She gave me a big hug and rubbed my belly. “I’ve missed you.”

She looked happier than I’d ever seen her. I was glad of that. I didn’t see her as much as I’d like. Even though I talked to her every few days, I still felt like we missed a lot of each other’s lives now.

“So, how’s Eddie?” I asked as we took our seats.

“He’s great. He’s got a job at a big software company, running their business department. He’s home every night by six, and it’s great.” She looked like a happy lovesick teenager when she talked about him. It filled me with joy.

“I bet. I’m jealous,” I said as I opened my menu.

“So, have you decided on any names?”

“Not really.”

She leaned over and rubbed my belly again, and I noticed a diamond ring on her finger. I grabbed her hand. “What the hell is this, Mills?”

She turned red. “I know, right?”

“It’s beautiful. When did this happen? How could you not tell me?” My feelings were hurt.
How could she not tell me this?
I should have been her first phone call.

“That’s why I drove to LA. It happened the same day you went to the doctor. I figured that was your day, so I waited.”

“Oh, Mills,
no
! You should have told me. I’m so happy for you. This is wonderful. How did he do it? Give me every detail.” I leaned across the table, grabbing her hand and checking out her ring.

She told me everything, and I listened as intently as she always did to my stories.

That night, I was exhausted from just being a big whale, so I wanted to take a shower and go to bed early. When I got out of the shower, I heard Slayde on the phone. “Damn, I forgot … I don’t know. I can’t imagine A wanting to do that tonight. She’s tired. I can’t believe I forgot. Taylor’s going to be so disappointed … All right, I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”

He hung up the phone and looked at me.

“Who was that?” I asked.

“Mom. Tonight’s the homecoming game, and Taylor’s on the homecoming court. I forgot all about it.”

“You know Taylor will be expecting you to be there, Slayde.”

“I know, but it’s gonna be crazy. You wanna go?”

“I guess, but it would probably be a good idea to take Dan or Tim or both.” I didn’t think it was a good idea for him to go without taking his bodyguards with him. “You know that the paparazzi will surely be expecting you to be there.”

“You’re probably right,” he groaned.

That was the problem with being a celebrity. You couldn’t just get in the car and do stuff like everyone else. That kind of freedom was something everyone else took for granted.

Dan and Tim were both able to go, and I was glad they did. When we got to the football game, it was crazy. I thought that we were gonna be mauled. A crowd formed around us, and I had to hold on to Slayde’s arm so I didn’t lose him. Finally Slayde told Dan to take me to sit down and he’d be there in a minute. He led me away from the shoving fans.

I found Lexi, who’d saved us a seat. Dan sat behind me. I told him he could leave if he wanted to, but he said he’d stay. I didn’t know if that was because Slayde had told him not to leave me, or if he just wasn’t up to fighting off droves of teenage girls. After a few minutes, he got a phone call and said he had to go help with Slayde anyway.

“Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea,” Lexi said as she pointed at the bottom of the bleachers.

Dan and Tim were trying to get Slayde into the bleachers, but they were having a hard time. I looked down and saw Slayde taking pictures with a group of girls. They were squealing and making such a scene that no one was paying attention to the game, but instead, everyone was pointing at Slayde covered in little girls. Lexi and I both giggled. About five minutes later, he finally got to us.

“You have lipstick on your face, baby,” I said and laughed as I wiped it off.

“Hell, I’m just glad to make it here in one piece.” He looked flustered, which was unusual.

“Did you go see Taylor?” Lexi asked.

“Yeah.” He hugged his mom. “Where’s Dad?”

“He’s here. He’s gone to get us all something to drink,” Lexi replied as Slayde sat next to me, straightening his clothing back the way it should be.

Dan and Tim sat down behind us, and Slayde looked at them and said, “I don’t know what I’m gonna do with you two if you can’t handle a bunch of little girls.” We all laughed.

Dan said, “I think guarding the president would be easier than walking you through a crowd of women. It’s crazy.”

I noticed that Slayde still looked bothered by something, and he usually handled things like this better than that. I leaned over to him and whispered, “Are you OK?”

He forced a fake smile. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

But I didn’t believe him. “You don’t look fine. What’s going on?” I brushed against him with my shoulder.

He turned back to me and grabbed my hand, lacing his fingers between mine. “Nothing, baby, I just don’t like having my pregnant wife getting pushed around like that. That’s all.” He smiled a genuine smile at me.

“Are you sure that’s the real reason, and it’s not really that you wish I wasn’t in the way of all those girls?” I teased him.

He rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, “Yeah, that’s it.” I laughed at him, and he seemed to go back to his happy, normal self after that.

After homecoming court, we decided to leave while everyone was distracted by the halftime entertainment. When we got to the bottom of the stairs, I saw Kenedy standing there. I hadn’t seen her since I left Paris. I wanted to turn and walk the other way, but it was too late. She’d seen us.

“Well, look at you,” she said in a catty tone I didn’t appreciate.

“Kenedy, we were just leaving,” Slayde said and walked around her, dragging me behind him.

“Slayde, I think she can speak for herself,” she snapped.

“What do you want, Kenedy?” I asked.

“You’re my sister, and I haven’t seen you in over two years. Don’t you think that’s weird?”

“For our family, no, and this isn’t the time to stop and talk. I’ll see you later.”

“Arden, wait. I’m sorry,” she said.

“For what? Trying to break Slayde and me up, sleeping with Brady, or trying to turn our mother against me? Which one is it? As far as I’m concerned, I only have one sister, and that’s Isabelle. Have a nice life, Kenedy.”

She looked completely shocked by my honest outburst. “Really, Arden? You’re such a bitch.”

I felt Slayde tense up. Dan got between Kenedy and Slayde, and we were able to leave. I was crying by the time we got into the car. “I hate her.”

“She’s not worth the energy, baby. She will never change. Let it go.” He put his arm around me and let me cry.

“That was so embarrassing. How dare she pull that shit in public? Now do you understand why I want nothing to do with those people?”

He squeezed me and kissed my forehead.

When I looked at my phone the next morning, I saw that Mom had called three times before I had woken up. About the time I started moving around, I heard the gate buzz.

“Who’s here?” Slayde asked groggily. The gate had woken him up.

“I don’t know yet.”

Slayde got out of bed and looked at the gate camera. And gave me a look. “It’s your mom.” He pushed the button and let her in.

“Slayde, why did you do that? I don’t want to see her.” I started throwing on clothes. I really didn’t want to deal with her right now.
Damn, Slayde!

He grabbed my arm to calm me. “You don’t have to see her. You can stay in our bedroom if you want to, and I will talk to her.”

He let her in the front door, and I went into the kitchen, so I could still hear what they were saying.

“Hey, Susan,” he said. He wasn’t exactly friendly, but Slayde’s like his mom, incapable of being rude. The fact that he called her by her first name said a lot about what he thought of her. Slayde’s family was from the South, and they said ma’am and sir and definitely didn’t call an elder by the first name unless they were invited to.

“Is Arden here, Slayde?” Mom asked.

“Yes, but I’m sorry, she doesn’t want to see you.”

“I really need to see her.” She sounded like she was crying.
But that’s impossible. The woman has no emotions.

“Well, I’m sorry, but you will respect her wishes in our house.”

“Please, I’m begging you to go get her.”

“Why? What’s so important that you came here today that hasn’t been important in the last year and a half? You haven’t seen your daughter in a year and a half, Susan. That probably has a lot to do with why she doesn’t want to see you now.” I peeked around the corner and saw Slayde standing there with his arms crossed. I knew he would defend me, no matter what he really thought I should do about the situation.

My mom licked her lips and tucked both sides of her short blond hair behind her ears. Her five-foot-two-inch frame was hunched slightly; she looked very humble at that moment. She was looking up at him with a pleading gaze. I expected her to fight back, but she didn’t. I had never seen anyone stand up to my mom, especially on my behalf. My mom was a damn good attorney, and you were wasting your time to argue with her. Most people gave in to her within minutes, but Slayde wasn’t budging.

“Slayde, I know that you love my daughter, and you are just trying to protect her. I respect that, but I need to talk to her. This nonsense has gone on too long, and I want to put an end to it today. Please!”