More Than Forever (Providence Series Book 2) (21 page)

Chapter

SEVENTEEN

I
sla
 

I
sat on the uncomfortable,
ugly couch in what Jodie called the ‘reception room’ of their house, a house I hated and had nothing but bad memories of. I still couldn’t go near the basement door after spending hours down there in the dark.  

“So, congratulations, darling! We’re delighted for you,” Jodie said in a saccharine tone and a fake smile on her face. 

I had nothing to say back to that, so I just smiled back and squeezed Luke’s hand. He’d promised me that he wouldn’t let go. 

“Where were you married,” Calista said, ignoring me completely as she’d done since we arrived and talking directly to Luke. 

“They were married in Bali. as you know, Calista,” Dad said, shocking me that he actually knew a detail to do with my life. 

“Awwww,” she scrunched up her face. “Wait, is that even legal in America?” 

“I think it’s lovely,” Jodie cut in, giving her daughter a glare and putting me on edge. They were up to something. “And the babies…” 

Dad cut in and started talking about the bomb in my car with Luke, so I switched off; I wasn’t comfortable discussing anything personal with any of them so I sat there quietly planning nursery colors and thinking of what I needed for the babies. Christie was in wedding mode and Colette was helping her, but the babies’ stuff was purely mine. 

I finished the glass of water that Dad had brought me when we’d arrived and realized that it had been a mistake when my hazelnut sized bladder started screaming at me. Ugh, I hated this! 

I got up to go to the guest bathroom near the kitchen and almost groaned with relief when I finally sat on the toilet. It felt like I hadn’t peed in forever. 

Opening the door when I was finished, my stomach dropped when I saw Calista and Jodie waiting for me with sneers on their face.
Awesome fucking possum! 

“Mmmm, never thought you’d have it in you,” Calista said smirking. 

“You must be feeling proud of yourself landing Luke. I never saw you as someone who’d trap a man, though, I’m impressed,” Jodie said sneering at me. “Always acted like you were better than us when really you’re just a conniving bitch like the rest of us, if not more.” She was obviously drunk because she was slurring and kept sliding on the wall behind her. 

Nothing good ever came from replying to them, so I kept quiet and did everything I could to keep my back straight and not show them that they were getting to me.  “Beating you was a pleasure,” Jodie slurred. “I used to love it when you went to your father and he’d ignore you. See, pussy over parenting, you can keep a man with your pussy, but you can lose a man to kids; especially a little bitch like you. Oh we used to laugh hard when he’d ignore you, pathetic bastard.” My head snapped back up. “Didn’t you know?” She burst out laughing and threw her head back, head butting the wall. Jolting forward like she was on a ship in a storm, she veered in my direction. “You think I really love him? Oh, no, no, no, granted he’s not bad with his dick, but he’s even better with his wallet. You were the cherry on top!” 

I was starting to feel nauseous, all that hell and pain for money? I hadn’t had a proper childhood because she was fucking greedy? 

“Nothing to say slut? Does your ‘husband’,” Calista used the air quotes, “know what you’re really like? Does he know that you did this on purpose? Oh yes, I hear he has a lot of money, but I
know
that he has a big cock.” She was smirking when she finished, knowing that she’d just shattered my entire life. “I remember the day we beat you with Geoffrey’s belt and then you just had to go and
fall
down the stairs. It would be a real shame if that happened to you now, wouldn't it?” 

“That’s enough,” Dad’s voice literally boomed down the hallway making all three of us jump. It was that loud that you could hear a faint echo in the enclosed area. Both he and Luke looked ready to commit murder.  

“Darling…” 

“Shut up,” he said in a low voice that made goosebumps come up on my arms.  

“Daddy…” Calista whined. 

“I said
shut the fuck up!
” Dad roared. “You hurt my daughter. You lied to me.” 

Jodie was obviously stupid because she started making her way down the hallway to him, sliding down the wall the whole time. “Now, handsome, would we do that? You know that I tried with her and that I love her like she’s my own, but she’s so like her mother…” 

“Obviously you’re struggling to understand English with the two bottles of gin and 

God knows what else in your system,” I don’t know what expression she pulled, but whatever it was, Dad gave a sinister looking smile back to her. “Oh, I know about it all. The men, the alcohol, the drugs…” He looked behind her at Calista who was watching all of it in horror. “The blackmail, the fake pregnancies, the stealing…My biggest regret in life will always be that I didn’t know what you were doing to my daughter. If I had, I’d have made sure you never tasted freedom again.” 

Luke started walking down towards me, but I held my hand up. “Don’t,” I whispered. It wasn’t that I believed what they were saying deep down, but I was hurting and needed a moment. I also didn’t want to do this in front of the two women who had made my life hell. 

“I know what you’re thinking and she’s lying, Isla. I haven’t touched her,” he said like he was talking to a frightened animal.  

“You know they’re not yours, don't you, Luke,” Calista piped up from beside me. Obviously she definitely was stuck on stupid because that was way the wrong thing to say. 

“Fuck you, you bitter cunt,” Luke growled, and I flinched because I hated the c word. “Those babies are
mine
and do you know how I know that? Because Isla is
mine
.” He took a couple more steps towards me before stopping three feet away from me. “I never touched you and you know it. I wouldn’t have ever touched you even if Isla hadn’t existed because you’re a filthy, lying whore.” She looked like she was going to cry when her Mom cut in. 

“You can’t speak to her that,” she slurred again. “She’s a shajillion times better than that ugly little bitch right th…” She didn’t get far because Dad grabbed her arm and started dragging her down the corridor. 

“Calista,” Luke’s voice was soft but it wasn’t a pleasant tone. “I would advise you and your mother to leave town and not come back. You have twenty-four hours to get it done before I start putting into action everything that I can to make your lives a living hell,” he leaned towards her and she tried to merge herself with the wall by pushing back against it even though there was no more space between her back and the wall. “In fact, I’m still going to. But if you don’t leave then I will make sure that everything you care about, that means something to you, will be destroyed.” 

“You don’t have that power,” she whispered, her eyes darting over his shoulder like she was going to make a run for it. 

“If you choose to believe that, then fine, but I know that I do.” He reached out and snagged my hand, gently pulling me down the hall behind him. I knew from Calista’s reaction when he said he’d never touched her that she’d been lying, but it was like it was a subconscious fear that he had touched her, and her saying it, even if it was a lie, was still suffocating me. I don’t understand what he sees me, I don’t think I ever will, and the worry that he’ll find someone better is always there at the back of my mind. 

We got through to the foyer just as Dad was opening the door and was then dragging a screaming and kicking Jodie out of it by her hair. 

“I’m going to take you for everything you have,” she screamed at him, sitting on the gravel of the driveway where she’d landed. “You’ve just made the biggest mistake of your life!” 

“No,” Dad replied, standing with his hands in his pockets like he hadn’t just dragged his wife of thirteen years out the door. “The biggest mistake of my life was marrying you. You can try to get whatever you want, in fact, please do; you signed a prenup a week before the wedding and it clearly states on the prenup that any divorce settlement will be null and void if you have an affair or relationship outside of this marriage.” 

“You can’t prove it and I’ll just tell them that you had mistresses all over the country. Who do you think people would believe?” She screamed at him. 

“Guess what, I can prove it. In fact, I have proof going back years, Jodie,
years
. 

What do you think people would say if they saw it, hmmm?” He rocked back on his heels. Her face had gone gray and she was just sitting staring up at him. 

“You can’t do that,” Calista shrieked from behind us and ran through where Dad, Luke, and I were standing, bumping me hard. I had been standing close to the edge of the step and the force of the hit pushed me forward and I lost my balance. Just as I started to tip forward strong hands caught my arms and pulled me back into a hard chest; Luke. 

“Did you just…” Luke said sounding even scarier than before. “Graham,” he shouted at one of the guys who was our security detail for the day. “Did you catch that?” 

“Sir,” Graham’s said, his face looking grim and pissed off. 

“Call the police. I want her charged,” Dad yelled over at him and immediately Graham had his phone in his hand and was touching the screen. 

“I didn’t do anything!” Calista took over the screaming that her mother had been doing previously. I always thought that she was this Disney princess look-a-like, but seeing her now, I realized that there wasn’t any beauty to her; it was all fake.  

She started trying to pull her sobbing mother up off the ground and only succeeded in dragging her a couple of feet across the gravel; that was going to sting. Movement caught my eye and I looked in Graham’s direction to see him recording the freak show in front of him on his phone; smart! 

“You’re going to pay for this,” she screamed as her mom got her feet under her and managed to stand up while using Calista as her anchor and almost pulling her over. 

The rest of what she was going to say was interrupted by a police cruiser driving up towards us, there had to have been one in the area for them to get here so quickly. 

It parked up beside the two messes that were now screaming in surround sound at us with mascara streaming down their faces; it was a good look for them. 

Looking back on it, I wish I’d had my phone out to record the next five minutes as they both screamed abuse and lies at us, screamed at Officer Dooley, who stood there watching it like it was a carnival freak show, tried to make a dash down the drive and then as they were handcuffed and put in the back of the car.
It was fabulous!
 

“Isla…” Dad took a step toward me, but stopped when I held my hand up. 

“Not now, I need some time.” 

“I understand,” he sounded almost defeated as he nodded his head and turned around to look back down the drive. 

“I’ll call you later,” I said before making the decision to do something that I hadn’t done in years - I hugged him before walking to where Graham had the rear door of the SUV open for me and got in. 

We’d just pulled out and were heading towards the Townsend’s when Luke spoke up. “I never…” 

“I know,” I cut him off. “For a second, yes, but then, no.” I really didn’t want to relive that bullshit right now and proving that Luke really was the one for me, he seemed to pick up on it and left it alone. Thinking hard, I realized that one good thing had come out of this, I
did
trust Luke. Hearing Calista say she’d fucked him hurt and, for a short period of time, but I don't think I truly believed her. That realization helped heal one of the last jagged pieces inside of me when it came to my husband, and with that came peace.  

Luke and I were going to have to go and give our statements to the police tomorrow about what happened to me when I was a child, and ask the Montgomery’s to do the same. I didn’t want to think and relive it all right now, I’d think about it tomorrow.