Fulfillment (Book 3 in The Temptation Series) (41 page)

Before I knew
it, my hand connected swiftly with her face, the echo from my skin
slapping hers sounding loudly throughout the lobby.

“Don’t you
dare mention my child, you fucking bitch!” I hissed quietly. I was
furious. She stood there stunned, holding her hand against her pink
cheek. “Get this through that thick head of yours: Bryce. Is. Not.
Interested. In. You. He wasn’t years ago and he isn’t now. I am the
one he is looking at when he says ‘I love you’. I will be the one
he gets down on bended knee for, and before you know it, we will be
married and you’ll be working for me. So pull your fucking head out
of your arse, or you’ll find yourself unemployed.”

I gave her the
once-over with my critical glare then left her there to dissect my
words.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-EIGHT

There is no
right or wrong way to grieve, it is an emotion so intense that it
takes control and overpowers your senses, leaving you feeling at a
loss entirely. Without grief, we would never appreciate the joy we
had beforehand. Never value what we lost. Never be truly grateful.
If all had gone to plan and the world was a place where fate was
written in the stars, I’d be holding my newborn baby girl Bianca in
my arms this day. But it’s not. Life is full of ups and downs,
twists and turns, love and loss. And life would not be worth
experiencing if it weren’t just that. You can’t have the good
without the bad, you need to somehow learn to accept the bad and
adjust it in a way that you can endure and overcome.

Bryce was busy
with overseeing the precinct’s set up of the Christmas Extravaganza
that was held every year. I’d asked Lucy to fill in for me in the
office as I was not in the right frame of mind to work. I needed
some time to myself to clear my head, not only from the wave of
grief I had been feeling on and off since waking up this morning,
but from the dreaded feeling of my fall that kept torturing me. I
still suffered flashbacks on occasion but had learned to
acknowledge them then let them go. It was quite possible I would
never be rid of them. Then again, maybe one day I would. For now
though, accepting them and moving on was what Jessica had
encouraged me to do and I was doing that.

***

I popped my
Live Trepidation CD into the Charger’s CD player, and remembering
what Matt had said at my birthday party, I pressed track four. The
sound of an acoustic guitar riff filled the speakers in my car,
automatically coercing a smile at the recognition of Bryce’s
musical genius. The tune was sweet yet the twang of the strings
plucked in quick succession indicated its intricacy. Derek’s smooth
voice filtered through the speakers shortly after, singing lyrics
of awakening and coming to life, about the concept of a revelation
that one can be lost then found. I liked the song and automatically
connected with it, but it was not just a connection resulting from
Bryce being the sole instrumentalist—it was significant to my
life’s recent journey—it was appropriate.

Derek
escalated his vocals along with Bryce’s strumming, singing the
chorus that instantly triggered a sense of déja vu, the lyrics
being ones I had seen before.

‘You’re all that I
want and nothing else.

‘I’ve fallen hard and
will never get up.

I cannot let go...I
won’t.

You’re infectious, my
love.’

Oh, my,
God. It’s the song Bryce was writing when we’d first gotten
together.
I quickly turned it up and listened in surprise and
wonderment. Having Bryce’s declaration immortalised in the form of
a song captured me entirely and left me stunned, but it also warmed
my heart immensely.

When the song
finished, I smiled.
Is it naive to believe that Bryce loves me
as much as he appears to love me?
I shook my head, once again
feeling that I had to pinch myself daily where he was concerned,
having believed in the past that a love like ours was a love only
found in fairy tales. But I was wrong. He had proved that time and
time again; his devotion for me was evident in everything that he
did.

I pulled out
my phone and typed him a text:

I just listened to
track 4 on your CD.

If anyone is
infectious, it’s u, my luv. - Alexis

I hit send,
sighed contentedly then looked out the window, taking in my
surroundings and therefore losing my smile. It’s amazing how your
heart can play tug-of-war, fighting between happiness one second
and sadness the next then somehow finding that in-between to keep
it sane. My heart was currently in that predicament, as the last
time I was here I’d had to say good bye to my daughter.

I proceeded to
get out of my car, and before I had even locked the door my phone
beeped with a reply:

It’s how I feel,
Hunny. U rule me, entirely.

Where r u? - Bryce

I probably
should’ve told him where I was going, but he was busy, and I
figured that if he wanted to come along we could always come back
later in the day.

I typed my
response:

So everyone keeps
telling me.

I think it’s the other
way round though,

U rule me.

I’m at the
Hospital...

I wanted a moment to
feel close to Bianca - Alexis.

I hit send and
waited for the reply I knew would come swiftly. It did:

R u alright? -
Bryce

I didn’t want
him to worry. I was alright.

I’m fine.

Thought I would spend
some time in the Garden of Angels.

I’ll see u later, luv
u ♥ - Alexis

Again, his
reply was instant:

Luv u more - Bryce

I tucked my
phone back into my handbag, pulled out a fluffy pink smiley-faced
star I’d found at the shops and headed to the garden.

It felt quite
different from the last time I was here as I stepped out onto the
path and looked at the vivid blue blossoms of the Jacaranda which
formed the centrepiece of the garden. Maybe that was because it was
now summer, and the garden was awash with colour, sunlight and with
a happy aura that only summer could bring.

Slowly, I
walked along the winding cobble path around the entire garden,
taking in the abundance of toys, teddy bears, and brightly coloured
wooden staked garden creatures. There were also homemade plaques
situated in amongst the shrubbery, against the trees and propped
along the edging of the path—plaques containing baby’s names. I
stopped and took the time to read each and every one, acknowledging
all the angels that shared my little girl’s home. It gave me an
idea to ask Charlotte to make one for Bianca and bring it with her
the next time we visited as a family.

After reading
all the plaques, I sat down on the wooden park bench directly
across from the spot where we sprinkled Bianca’s ashes and said our
goodbyes. I had the pink star on my lap and was tenderly stroking
it and hugging it as if it could replace the one thing I wanted to
hug and caress the most—my daughter. As I sat there with my eyes
closed visualising a life with Bianca in it, I felt the seat shift
and a comforting hand rest on my shoulder. I didn’t have to open my
eyes to see who it was, but I did, because his presence still
surprised me. He was puffed and slightly glistening, his face a
little pinker than usual.

“That was
quick,” I said with a smile, as I nestled into his side.

“I didn’t want
you here alone for a second longer,” he said with strained breath
as he tightened his grip.

“I’m fine. I
just needed to be close to her today.”

“Why didn’t
you tell me?” He sounded a little disappointed.

“You were
busy, and I just thought I’d come on my own.”

“I’m never too
busy for you, or Nate and Charli. Remember that—you come first.
Always.”

I knew he
meant it, but he was still an extremely sought after person in his
work life, and I didn’t want to interfere with that. There were
some things I would have to do on my own, and I was okay with that.
I needed my independence—I liked it.

I looked up at
him and noticed him staring at the garden ahead. “I think she
would’ve looked like you,” I said softly.

He scoffed.
“Me, too. The force is strong in my family,” he playfully
replied.

I lovingly
shoved him. “Yeah, don’t I know it.”

“I think she
would’ve had blonde wavy hair like her mother, my blue eyes, your
button nose, and the sweetest little dimples like Charli. She
would’ve had Lucy’s smarts, Nate’s determination, and your
kindness.”

I was staring
at him, tears rolling down my cheeks.

He turned his
head and wiped them away. “No doubt, she would’ve sent me to an
early grave,” he smiled sadly.

I giggled. “I
know. I can imagine her having your stubbornness, your drive, and
your ‘no restraints or restrictions’ attitude.” I broke free of his
embrace and leaned forward, ready to put the pink star in the
garden. “I guess we’ll never know,” I said regretfully.

He grabbed my
hand and gently took the star from it, smiling as he identified its
significance. He ran his fingers along it then passed it back, not
before taking my hand and pressing it to his lips. “You’re wrong,
Hunny, we do know.”

I gently
caressed his sad face then moved forward and placed the star in the
garden. Happy with its perfect position, I moved back into Bryce’s
safe, secure and comforting embrace.

***

The following
weekend was Charlotte’s birthday. She was a Christmas baby and
hated it. I remember her saying to me not too long ago that it
wasn’t ‘fair’ and that she had to wait an entire year to celebrate.
I’d tried explaining that we all had to wait a year to celebrate,
but that just frustrated her even more.

“Charlotte,
are you ready? Your friends will be here in any minute.”

“Yes, Mum,”
she called from her room. “I’m coming.”

Charlotte
appeared at the top of the stairs dressed in a purple and blue
Young Versace dress that Bryce had bought her with Clarissa’s help.
At first I hadn’t known what to think of my now seven-year-old
daughter in a designer label. But, the more I thought about it, the
unshakeable feeling of hypocrisy bubbled in the pit of my stomach,
so I shrugged my shoulders and let it go. Plus, she did look
unbelievably sweet in the flowing pleated floral dress.

I beamed at
her. “Look at you, Sweetheart. You look beautiful.”

“Like mother,
like daughter,” Bryce said as he looked up from his newspaper at
Charli. He was seated on the sofa next to me, bare footed and in
jeans with his legs stretched out and resting on the coffee
table—this now my new favourite sexy couch position of his.

Charlotte
gracefully pranced down the stairs, a large smile covering her
face. “Thank you. I love my new Versace dress,” she said in a posh
voice, enunciating the word Versace.
Oh God, I’ve created a
little designer-Charli-monster.

As she twirled
around the lounge room—making me laugh—the buzzer to the door
sounded. The refined poise she had just displayed practically
evaporated into thin air, a squealing, jumping noisy banshee
replacing it.

I got up from
my seated position next to Bryce and followed Charli to the door,
opening it to find both Lil with her daughter, Jasmine, and Steph
with her daughter, Katie.

“Come in,” I
smiled.

Charli
embraced both her friends with high pitched giggles and a lot of
bouncing—lots and lots of bouncing. Steph and Lil remained in the
foyer.

“You coming
in?” I asked, confused.

Steph laughed
sarcastically. “Nope, are you kidding? They’re all yours.”

“We are
heading to shops. Have fun.” Lil twiddled her fingers in a faux
wave then linked her arm with Steph’s as they skipped away.

“Bitches,” I
called out jokingly. “We will have fun.”

As they
skipped through the foyer, they passed Addison and her mum,
Addison’s mum giving both Steph and Lil a strange look.

“Hello,
Addison.”

“Hello, Mrs.
Summers.”

“Come in,
Sweetheart.”

Charli,
Jasmine, and Katie noticed Addison and all squealed again. I
cringed at the noise.

“I hope you
have a set of ear muffs,” Addison’s mum said as she stuck her
finger in her ear.

“We have a
sound-proof room,” Bryce called out from his sexy sprawled out
position on the couch.

‘Oh my’ I
heard Addison’s mum say under her breath as she looked in his
direction, then quickly covering her slip by answering his remark
with a nervous stutter. “Even better.”

“Would you
like to come in?” I asked.

“No, I won’t
stay. I have a few things to do,” she said red-faced. “Addison,
I’ll pick you up in the morning.”

Addison didn’t
take any notice of her mum and just answered unfazed. “Okay,
Mum.”

“Actually,”
Bryce said as he strode in our direction.
Fuck, he looks
extremely hot today. Why does he look hotter than his normal hotty
hotness?
“Danny, my chauffer, will be dropping the girls off
home tomorrow in the limousine, if that’s alright?” he asked with a
charming tone that no sane woman could refuse.

All the girls
screamed.

I licked my
lips.

And Addison’s
mum just stared.

“I think the
girls would like a ride in the limo, wouldn’t you?” he asked them
as he pulled me into his side.

“Yes,” they
squealed.

“Mum!” Addison
screeched, snapping her mother out of her Bryce-induced trance-like
state.

“Yes. Yes,
sorry. Yes, that is fine, sorry. Thank you. Okay, I’ll see you
tomorrow.” She quickly kissed Addison on the forehead and hastily
made her way out the door.

I closed it
behind her and wrapped my arms around my man. “You do that on
purpose.”