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

After he got out of the shower, I heard him talking to someone on the phone. I tried to listen to see if I could figure out who it was. I was making his bed when he came out of the bathroom. “Don’t you feel a little better now?” I asked.

“Not really, but it’s better than staying here listening to you nag.” He was pulling at his clothes like they were uncomfortable.

“You’re absolutely right about that.” I straightened his collar. “Maybe you can go buy some clothes that fit you while you’re out.”

“I don’t want to go shopping. I’m going with Kevin to a ballgame. Do I look like shit or something?” He snapped at me.

“No, but your pants are too big.”

“I don’t care. I’m not trying to impress anybody.”

“Baby, at least wear a belt.” He stopped and opened his closet and looked around. I could see it hanging up, but he was a man. “Slayde, it’s hanging right there. Look straight ahead and to your left.” He put it on and started to leave. I gave him a hug and made him look at me. “I promise you’re gonna be OK, baby. I love you.” He didn’t say anything. He just nodded, and I saw tears forming in his eyes again when he walked away.

Zac was in the kitchen getting steaks ready to marinate when I got home. “How is he today?”

“He was going to a ballgame with Kevin.”

“Well, that’s good, right?” he asked.

I smiled and shrugged. I wasn’t about to tell him I made him go. Zac thought I babied Slayde, and that he was a momma’s boy. It pissed me off when he said that because it wasn’t true. Slayde and I had always had a great relationship. It was just the two of us for so long. Zac was always gone, and Slayde and I did everything together. He had slept with me whenever Zac was away until he was at least twelve. I was his mother, and I was going to baby him as long as I could.

Zac and his twin brother had been raised by their father and stepmother. They were far from loving, supportive parents, but I was raised differently. And their way was not how I was going to raise my kids.

Zac’s father, William, owned an oil company and was extremely wealthy. He divorced Zac’s mother when the boys were very young, and the story was that he paid her off to stay out of their lives. But they never spoke of it. So I didn’t really know. All I really knew was that their mother was completely out of the picture. I couldn’t imagine how anyone could do that. Their father remarried, but his wife wasn’t ever a mother figure.

Zac’s father and stepmother would leave him and Jeremy at home for weeks at a time while they traveled all over the world. And when they were there, they didn’t care what the boys did. There were always wild parties at their house, and girls slept over all the time. It was ridiculous. Which is probably why Zac had two kids by two different girls by the time he was nineteen.

Jeremy seemed less damaged from his childhood. He was smart and funny and an excellent attorney in Florida. I would have pegged him as the one who would leave Florida, not Zac.

William had a favorite son, and it was Zac. I thought it was sad because it was very obvious. Jeremy acted like he didn’t notice, but there was no way he couldn’t have.

Zac and Jeremy were identical twins, and the only noticeable physical difference was their eyes. Jeremy had big, pretty brown eyes, where Zac’s were a beautiful blue, the color of the Caribbean. They had always been extremely good-looking but had very different personalities. Zac was cocky and full of himself, whereas Jeremy was more down-to-earth and humble. I don’t know why I picked Zac. Truth is, Zac really picked me; I would never have had the nerve to pursue either of them. But our fathers were old friends, and my family spent a lot of time each summer at their lake house and beach house.

Zac and Jeremy grew up playing baseball together, but at some point their father seemed to give more attention to Zac, and eventually Jeremy lost interest. Zac became the jock, and Jeremy the smart one. But despite their differences, they were always very close growing up, and they remained that way.

With Zac growing up in such a strange household, he didn’t always see things the way I thought a normal father should. Sometimes I thought Zac was jealous of the relationship I had with Slayde. It sounded ridiculous, but I really believed it was the case.

Zac didn’t realize that you had to actually spend quality time with someone to have a good relationship with them. It wasn’t that we didn’t have a good relationship, but with Zac gone almost half of the time, I sometimes felt like a single parent.

When Zac retired from a nineteen-year career playing major league baseball, I was hoping he would stay home for a while. But he had only been home for four days when he came back from the country club telling me that he was going into business with a golf buddy. This man owned a large commercial construction company and wanted to branch out. I couldn’t have imagined that would be of any interest to Zac, especially since he didn’t know anything about construction. After some back and forth, Zac ended up just backing him financially and being a silent partner.

A few months later, Zac started Price Enterprises, which bought large pieces of land and developed subdivisions. He didn’t do any of the actual construction of the houses but sold those lots to builders and made a profit.

This was really great for us because it meant he was home with us. But before long, like I had feared he would, William sucked Zac into coming to work at Price Oil. As much as this was not a surprise, I still hated it. He was gone several nights a week again, this time to Fort Lauderdale, and when he was home, he was busy as hell trying to keep up both his golf game and Price Enterprises. Once Zac gave in, Jeremy left his law partnership and joined them at Price Oil.

William was very determined that Zac and Jeremy would end up taking over Price Oil completely, and he wanted them to know everything that went on there. I never even felt sure they wanted to. It wasn’t discussed. It was just what was expected of them.

Now, Zac was carefully moving the steaks off the cutting board and into a bag. He said, “I don’t understand why he is so devastated over this. He has women throwing themselves at him everywhere he goes. What’s so special about this one girl?”

I felt my blood start boiling. “Really? Is that how you would see it, Zac? I seem to remember a time when you had women throwing themselves at you. Are you telling me something about yourself that I need to know?”

He stopped what he was doing and looked at me. “Hell no, Lex! This is totally different.”

“How so?” I stood there, arms crossed, waiting on an answer.

He shrugged and looked back at the meat. “I don’t know. I guess because he’s not tied to her indefinitely. It’s not like he’s married to her or has a kid with her or anything like that.”

“So you’re saying that if you hadn’t had a kid with me, you would have chosen a different path for your life?” My feelings were really hurt. I had always thought that, and maybe there was some truth behind it.

He knew this was a sore subject. He put down the bag and turned back to me. Raising my chin with his finger, he looked me in the eyes. His brow was furrowed, and his blue eyes seemed to pierce through me. “Lexi, you know that’s not the case. I love you. I’ve always loved you. This is not a reflection on my life. I just don’t understand why he is dwelling on it. He needs to either go get her or get over it. I came and got you, and you had already married someone else. I didn’t let that stop me. I knew what I wanted, and instead of sulking, I came and won you back.”

“You never should have let me leave in the first place,” I said quietly.

“I was a kid, and I made a mistake. Are we really going there again?”

I didn’t say anything else. I went upstairs. A few minutes later, he joined me. He knew that he was wrong, and he knew my feelings were hurt.

“Baby, I know what I said seemed shitty, but it really had nothing to do with me. I wouldn’t change anything about my past other than the fact I was stupid and let you go. I took you for granted once, and I’m not stupid enough to ever do that again.” He leaned over and kissed the top of my head then asked. “You want me to talk to Slayde?”

“Absolutely not,” I snapped.

He laughed. “What? You think I don’t love our son as much as you do?”

“Actually, no. I don’t think anyone loves him as much as I do, but that’s not the reason. I just don’t think your advice is so great. I think you’ll only piss him off and make him more upset.”

“Why is that?” He stepped back, looking offended.

“Do you even know your son?”

“What do you mean?”

“He doesn’t want to hear ‘Get over it.’”

“Well, maybe that’s what he needs to hear!” he shouted.

“What did you think when your dad tried to interfere in our relationship?”

Trying not to smile he said, “That he needed to mind his own damn business.”

“Need I say more?”

Brady was Zac’s oldest son. Zac’s father had wanted Brady’s mother to stay away from Zac and not ruin his precious baseball career. So he paid her off when Brady was born and Zac was young and couldn’t do anything about it. A few years later, he tried to do the same thing to me, but Zac stood up to him that time. When that happened, both Jeremy and Zac cut ties with their father, and he cut them off financially. Eventually he came back and tried to smooth things over with the boys, but the damage was done. He gave them some of their inheritance early and thought that would fix things, but it didn’t really matter to them.

Both Jeremy and Zac swore they would never be like their father, but sometimes I thought I saw a little bit of William Price in Zac. When Slayde decided to go to Paris to model and act instead of taking a baseball scholarship, I thought I was watching history repeat itself. Zac was livid and cut Slayde off. Like his father had done to him all those years before. But I wasn’t having it. I quickly let him know that if I had to choose between him and Slayde, I would never choose him.

It didn’t take him long to realize what he was doing to his family and what the long-term consequences would be if he didn’t fix it.

I always wondered if things would have been different for Zac and Jeremy if they had had a real mother figure in their lives. Their stepmother had been in their lives since they were five, and she never had any children of her own. You would have thought she would have been more involved with them, but William made it clear that
his
boys were none of her concern. And when William Price spoke, almost everyone listened.

So the fact that Zac didn’t have a clue about being a father sometimes didn’t really surprise me. He did the best he could with what he had to work with, which wasn’t much. He loved me, and he loved our kids, and that was really all that mattered.

T
he next Friday, Slayde was off again. At least when he was filming I had a little bit of a break. Even though he was having a hard time, he was still responsible enough to go to work and take care of the business end of his life. But he had a three-day break this time, and I knew I would end up back over there.

I tried to call him several times, hoping that would be enough. Like usual, there was no answer. I had told Taylor I would bring her science project to her at school, so I decided to go by his house afterward.

I let myself in as I did every other day. I picked up a few things around the house before I decided to go make him get out of bed.

He was usually asleep and wouldn’t hear me knock. I always had to go physically shake him. He’d always been like that, and so had Zac. You had to hope you’d never need them in the middle of the night, because you would be on your own.

I opened the door and turned on the light, not really in the mood to baby him this morning. Much to my surprise, he was already up, and Arden was there. Really there. I froze, unable to move. I guess I wasn’t ready to see my son having sex.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, covering my eyes and backing out of the room. I felt my cheeks flush, and I grabbed my keys and hurried out to my car.

Once I was out of his neighborhood, I felt relieved. Embarrassed or not, I was glad to see that they were definitely communicating again. If that’s what you wanted to call it.

When I got home, Zac was walking in from the pool house.

“That was quick. Was he there?” he asked.

“Yep,” I said.

“So, he’s obviously doing better?”

“Yep.” I let out a little shriek of laughter.

“OK. What’s the deal? Was Arden there or something?”

“Yep.”

“That’s good, right? I thought that’s what everybody wanted.” Zac looked confused, but I really didn’t want to go into details if I didn’t have to.

“It is.” I gave him an awkward smile, hoping he would change the subject.

“Then what is it? Are you upset he didn’t need his mommy this morning? He’s a grown man, Lex. He’s eventually going to want her over you.” He sat in his chair and turned on the television.

“I don’t doubt that,” I said, matter-of-factly.

He muted it and turned around to make eye contact with me. “You didn’t knock, did you?”

“Well, I called, and he didn’t answer his phone. He’s never awake. So why should I knock? He won’t hear me.”

He burst out laughing, and I finally smirked a little too. “Is he mad?”

“I didn’t stick around to find out. I hope she’s not mad.” He was still laughing. “I’m glad you think this is so funny,” I said. I acted angry, but I was trying to keep from laughing myself.

“Well, I walked in on him and that other Simms girls years ago, and strangely enough, I think I was the only one embarrassed,” he said.

“Oh, gross! You didn’t tell me about that.”

“Why is that gross, but this is funny?” he asked.

“I couldn’t stand Kenedy. When was that? Where was I? I tried to not leave them alone if I could possibly help it.”

“You were asleep. I guess they thought we were all asleep. Believe me, they weren’t hiding it. They were in the living room on the couch in plain sight.”

“Never mind; please don’t tell me anymore,” I said and put my fingers in my ears.

He laughed, but he didn’t say anything else about it.

As awkward as that moment was at Slayde’s, I was so glad that they were together. Well, I hoped they were together, and I hoped she wasn’t mad about what had happened.

I didn’t call him. I knew he’d call me. I was in the kitchen cleaning up after lunch when he walked in.

He didn’t look angry. Zac was also in the kitchen, so I didn’t say anything.

Slayde leaned over and whispered in my ear, “I guess you’ll knock next time.” He was laughing. I was embarrassed, but obviously he wasn’t.
Weirdo!

Zac left the room, and I said to Slayde, “I’m so sorry. Is she mad?” That really was my main concern.

“Nah! A little embarrassed but not mad.” He laughed and opened the refrigerator. I knew things must have been OK if he was eating. I had been forcing food down him for more than a month.

“I really am sorry.”

“I know. It’s fine, Mom,” he said. “She thinks you’ll think badly of her now though.”

“That’s crazy. I hope she doesn’t think I’m a psycho, nosy mom who doesn’t know my boundaries. I just had no idea that you had even talked to her. What happened? Did you finally listen to me and call her?” He pulled stuff out to make a sandwich, and I pushed him out of the way and took over. “Give me the details, please. You know I’ve been dying to know what happened.”

He smiled at me. “Maybe I should punish you by not telling you.” I knew he was kidding. If he didn’t want me to know, he wouldn’t have come over. “And I think you know what happened.”

“Slayde.” I rolled my eyes. Sometimes he liked to be a little much.

“All right. I went to Benihana last night after work with Shelley, Marcus, and Reese. Milly had told me they were going, and she was going to do what she could to make Arden go. I looked for them twice while we were there but never saw them. I figured Arden had told her no and they hadn’t come, but when we went to leave, I saw Milly standing by our car. I knew she wouldn’t have come without Arden. I didn’t see Arden at first because there were so many people screaming and yelling, but Milly showed me where she was. When I found her, I thought I was gonna throw up. She was standing out of the way behind this douche bag who totally has the hots for her.”

“Eric?” I asked. “The one you had a fight with?”

He nodded. “That’s the one. For a second, I really thought they were together, but I didn’t care. I had to talk to her. I pushed through all the people and asked her to please go with me and I’d give her a ride home. She was reluctant at first, but she finally agreed. The paparazzi were everywhere, taking pictures and asking questions. It was the typical freak show. I wouldn’t have blamed her if she had said no. When we got to the house, she acted like she didn’t want to be there. I was so nervous. I finally asked her to please stay and talk. I told her how I felt, and she broke down and told me she felt the same.”

“Well, was she on a date with that guy?” I asked.

“No. Like ten of them were there together celebrating the end of finals. She said she hasn’t gone out with anybody else.”

“So, are you back together or just talking or what?”

“I gave her the ring back,” he said.

“Really?” I looked up at him a little too quickly, and I saw the first real Slayde smile in months fade, no doubt from the concern in my voice.

“Yes,” he mumbled, looking less confident.

“And she took it?” I asked with a bit less anxiety.

“Without a second thought.” He smiled again. I knew he was happy, but I felt a little cautious because of what he’d just been through. I was definitely glad that they were back together. I just didn’t expect them to be engaged again that quickly.

“Where is she doing her residency?” I knew this was something he had been worrying about because it hadn’t been decided before they broke up. So she could have gone anywhere.

“LA!”

“Are you serious? I wonder why she chose to stay here,” I said, but I really knew why.

“I don’t know, but I’m glad she did. She sure didn’t have to.”

“Is she moving back to your old house?” I asked.

“No, it’s sold. She’s supposed to go back to her mom’s, but I think I’ve convinced her to move in with me.”

“You don’t think this is too soon, do you?” I hated to ask, but this all seemed so sudden. He wanted this so badly that I knew he’d do anything to make it happen. I hoped she was really ready for this. I couldn’t stand the thought of him being heartbroken again.

“Hell no! We’ve been apart way too long. She graduates tomorrow, and I’m going. You wanna go?” When I didn’t answer for a moment, he looked at me with concern in his eyes. “Do you think it’s too soon?”

“Baby, I don’t know. I don’t think it is for you, but you’ve always seemed to know what you wanted. I just think you should make sure she knows it’s not a deal breaker. If she’s not ready to move back in yet, don’t push her.”

“I’m not. I just think it’s stupid for her to move in with her mom. I know she’s going to turn right around and move in with me. I’m going to let her know that the option is there if and when she wants to do it.”

I put his sandwich in front of him. “I’m glad it all worked out.” I was, but I was still hoping he wasn’t setting himself up to be let down.

“Me too! She’s packing her dorm right now, and I’m going to stay there tonight and help. I have eleven straight days of filming coming up, so I want to spend time with her now while I can.”

I felt bad about being negative, but I didn’t want him to be too pushy. She was the one who had left, and he needed to remember that. I had no doubt that she still loved him, but I didn’t want to see him heartbroken again. Watching him suffer these last few weeks had been the most painful thing I’d ever experienced as a mother. As glad as I was that it might be over, I was just as concerned that it could happen again.

He must have read my expression because he said, “Mom, don’t worry. Everything is gonna be OK. She seems to really know what she wants. This is what we both want.” He looked down when he said that, and I knew something was wrong.

“Why did you make that face?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I just know it’s got to suck for her. There’s nothing I can do to control any of the BS with the media. There will be more lies out there again.”

“That’s just part of it, honey. Not to change the subject or dwell on the negative, but why do you think she hadn’t called you? What would have happened if you hadn’t seen her? Doesn’t that scare you a little?”

“Gosh, Mom, are you a Debbie Downer today or what? I thought you wanted us to get back together. Now it feels like you don’t like her.”

“Baby, I do! I just want you to make sure that you are asking her all the right questions. That’s all. I want y’all to get back together and stay together.” I reached across the bar and grabbed his free hand, squeezing it.

“Mom, trust me. It’s gonna be fine!”

Arden moved back in after graduation like Slayde had wanted her to, and he was back on cloud nine. I had only seen him once since she’d moved in.

I was at home, getting ready for a charity event I was involved in at the country club, when he came over. “Mom?” I heard him shout from downstairs.

“I’m in your dad’s office,” I shouted back at him.

He came in moments later. “What are you doing?”

“Stupid seating chart,” I grumbled.

“Oh, well, you got a minute?”

“For you, of course. What’s up?”

“We’re going to Saint Lucia with Milly and Eddie in the morning.” He smiled broadly.

“Oh, that sounds fun. You should stay at Sandals.” I looked back at my project.

“Well, we want you to go.”

What?
I looked up. “You want to take your mom on a romantic getaway with your fiancée?”

“No, I want my family to come to my wedding.”

“Wedding?” I stood up, almost knocking my chair over. “Tomorrow? You’re getting married tomorrow?”

He laughed. “No, but in a few days. We’re leaving tomorrow, and Arden wants your help planning. Will you come?”

“Of course I’ll come.” I ran around the desk and hugged him. “Oh, this is going to be great. She wants my help? Really?”

“Yes. Mom. Not so hard.” He groaned and tried to break free of my grip.

After letting him go, I backed away. “Oh, sorry. OK. Well, we need to start getting ready. Let me talk to your dad and Taylor. Have you called Brady?” He looked away, shaking his head. “You haven’t told Brady? Slayde. He’s your brother. No matter what, you’re still family. You better talk to Brady. You know you want him there.”

“This is our wedding. I don’t want Brady ruining it.”

“He wouldn’t.”

He cut me off. “Really? You saw how he acted in Colorado. Do you really think he’d be better at our wedding?”

I sighed. I couldn’t argue with that. “But he’s going to be so hurt. You do understand that, don’t you?”

“Can we deal with Brady later? It’s his fault he’s not invited.”

“What about Kenedy?”

“Not invited either! Only Isabelle. Arden doesn’t want any of her other family members there. We want it small and drama-free. So, they aren’t invited.”

I nodded sadly. “OK, baby, just let me know when we leave, and Tay and I will be there.”

He smiled. “Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.”

I hadn’t expected this so fast, but I was excited for them. Arden really was all in. And I was thrilled she wanted my help. I loved weddings, and I loved party planning. This was going to be great.

Taylor and I were both packing when Zac got home that evening. He looked around, confused, probably assuming I’d told him about this trip and he wasn’t listening. “Uh, where are we going?” He threw his coat and tie on our bed.

“Saint Lucia.”

I could tell by his expression he was contemplating not saying anything because he thought I was going to be angry. I couldn’t help but giggle. Zac was notorious for not paying attention, but he never admitted it.

“Zac, it just came up. Can you take a few days off?”

Relief washed over his face, and he began untucking his shirt. “Not this week. I have a meeting in New York that I can’t reschedule.”

“Well, honey, you have to reschedule. We’re going for Slayde’s wedding. Your presence is not optional.”

He stopped what he was doing and glared at me. “Wedding?”

“Yes, Zac. They are engaged, remember?”

“They’ve only been engaged for like five minutes.”

I knew he was going to react this way.
I knew he thought Slayde was getting married too young. I put my hand on his chest, looking him in the eyes. “Well, here’s the deal. They are getting married this weekend, and you will be there. End of discussion.” I pecked his lips and went back to packing.

“But … ”

“But nothing, Zac Price. Reschedule your meeting. Jeremy and your father can do it without you.”