Destiny Undone: The Complete Series Box Set (35 page)

“Hey, babe. Sorry to call you at work. I’ve got the groceries and they’re all put away on the boat, but my sister has come over and it looks like I’ll be spending the afternoon with her. I’ll come by and see Singh a little later this afternoon, okay?”

“Sure, no problem.”

I paused on the phone, playfully. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“No, I can’t think of anything,” he said nervously.

“Nothing at all?” I laughed in the phone. I wasn’t really going to make him say it, but it was fun making Gabe sweat. “I’m kidding. See you soon.” I hung up and dialed Aven.

“What’s up, Avon!”

“Ugh! You know I hate that. There’s nothing Avon about me. I am Aven all the way.”

“Listen, my sweetie, I have to postpone our tennis game. My sister’s here and she needs me.”

Suddenly, Mills appeared and yelled at me. “Oh, my God! Did you tell Aven that I’m pregnant?”

There was stunned silence on the other end of the phone then Aven said, “What did she just say… that she’s pregnant? What’s that girl doing? I’m on my way!”

“Hold on, Aven! We aren’t at home right now anyway.”

“Oh, okay. Where are you?”

“We’re on Gabe’s boat. Wait a minute, Aven…”

I turned to Mills and said, “I didn’t tell Aven anything, but you just did, big mouth.”

“Great! Everyone will know now,” Mills whined.

“Hey! Tell your sister to shut up. I can keep a secret. I won’t tell a soul.”

“I know you won’t, Aven. I’ll talk to you later, girl. Bye.”

“Bye, love you!” She hung up and I hoped with all my heart that she wouldn’t call the local grapevine and spread the news. She’d said she’d keep it to herself, but Aven could be like that sometimes. I prayed that her newfound devotion to me had changed her somehow, but I wouldn’t bet the bank on it.

“No sense in postponing the inevitable, Mills. Let’s go talk to Fallon before he hears it from someone else.”

She shook her head slowly and we left the boat. I remembered to lock it and flipped off the radio as well. We pulled away from the marina and drove towards the east side of Destiny Beach, where the uber-rich kids lived. I hoped for Mills’ sake that things would go well with Fallon. Bringing a baby into the picture would change all of our lives.

And my new one had just started…

Amanda Heartley

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

© 2015 Amanda Heartley

Published by Heartley Publishing

It was now or never.

My parents were on the terrace, sipping mixed drinks and discussing their next philanthropic trip. Having them both in town at the same time was a rare occurrence, one I needed to take advantage of no matter how anxious I was about their reaction to what I was about to ask of them.

They both perked up as I stepped outside. “Hey, son! How about a drink?” I could tell my dad had already had a few. I hoped the small buzz would help them accept what I was about to say. I sure as hell didn’t want it to backfire.

“No thanks, Dad. Actually, I’d like to talk to the both of you if you have a minute.”

“Sure. Are we in trouble?” Mom joked.

I pulled over a chair and sat down in front of them. “No, Mom, you guys aren’t in trouble.” I smiled and added, “You’re never home long enough to cause any.”

“Ouch!” Mom replied, a scowl on her face. I hadn’t meant to sound so harsh, but my thoughts of how to start this conversation were ping-ponging around in my head, distracting me. Maybe I was over-thinking it, but right or wrong, I was nervous. I wasn’t quite sure how they were going to take what I had to say.

I took a deep breath and exhaled. “Sorry, that wasn’t supposed to hurt.”

“Forgiven.” Mom’s face softened again.

Dad took another sip and set his glass down on the side table. “Okay, son, what is it? Are you in trouble?”

“No, Dad, it’s about Pepper.”

“Is she pregnant?” Mom interrupted.

“No! Guys, can I please talk?”

“Thank God for that!”

“Mom! Please!”

They both looked at each other and Dad finally answered, “Yes, son, please, go ahead.”

“Okay, but no more interruptions.” As if it wasn’t hard enough to talk to these two. “Pepper’s been going through a lot lately. What with dealing with the adoption, struggling with how she feels, who she is—”

“Yes, I can see where that would be disturbing to her. Wonder what made them tell her now? Isn’t that all water under the bridge?” Dad sat up in his lounge chair and slid his sunglasses up. “I mean, there were rumors years ago that Doug had adopted her, but I just thought that meant she was Evangeline’s child and he’d adopted her. Not that they found her in an orphanage.”

“Dad, she didn’t come from an orphanage. She’s Evangeline’s cousin’s daughter. They both adopted her, but that’s not the point.”

My mother broke into the conversation. “Oh, my God! You’re going to marry her, aren’t you?” I loved my mother but she could take a conversation and twist the words so many times, by the time you were finished, it was totally different than what you’d started with.

“No, Mom. I mean, I don’t know, but that’s not what I want to talk to you about—”

“I like her. It’s your mother that has a problem.” Dad slid his glasses back down over his eyes and ignored the scowl that had returned to Mom’s face.

“Thanks, jerk. I don’t have a problem with her. I just think she could be a little more… modest. Lady-like comes to mind,” Mom scoffed and took another drink.

“Wow, you guys are amazing. I came out here to ask a favor—one I don’t feel I should ask because I
am
a grown man—and now you’ve turned it into a circus. Damn.” I got up from my chair and thought about going out to the boat to see Pepper. These guys were obviously a little too wasted to have an intelligent conversation with. Apparently, right now wasn’t the time to ask them for anything.

My mom spoke first. “Gabriel, sit back down, we’ll listen. What do you need?”

I turned and looked at her, ignoring her pointed glance at the chair I’d just abandoned. “Do you really want to know?”

They both stared up at me, looking puzzled, as if they had no idea why I was so agitated.

“I want Pepper to come stay here for a few days, but you two can’t stop drinking or stay quiet long enough to listen to me. Forget it.”

“What are you saying? You want to live together? Here?” I could hear the discontent in her voice. Dad slid his glasses back up and looked at Mom then back at me.

“No, I don’t mean live together. Just let her stay for a couple of days so she can get her head clear.”

“What’s wrong with the boat?” Dad asked, then took another sip of his drink.

“Nothing’s wrong with the boat but I want her with me. She needs a friend right now and I want to be there for her.”

“Gabriel, she’s a wealthy girl. Can’t she just buy a condo like everyone else her age? Or a house or an apartment somewhere? It’s not like she doesn’t have options. Why does this have to fall on you?” Mom looked over at Dad for support on her point.

“Mom, everything’s up in the air at the minute. Doug’s been great—he’d never deny her anything—but she doesn’t want to be there right now, not in light of everything she knows. She’s hurt, feels really alone, and for the record, this wasn’t her idea, it was mine. I want her with me but I guess if your…” I put my fingers up in air quotes, “
scruples
won’t allow that, I’ll just go stay on the boat with her instead.” I turned to leave again but Mom called me back.

“Gabe, please don’t walk away. I didn’t say no. I’m just asking questions. First you say you want me to like her then you want her to move in. I know it’s just a few days, but it’s still living together and I don’t know how I feel about you two living like a married couple here.”

“So, I should marry her, then?” I knew that wasn’t what she meant, but I wanted her to see the flaw in her logic.

“Stop that. You know that’s not what I meant. If that’s what you really want, then fine. It’s your space. You can move in anyone you like, I suppose. Just please let us know if you plan on skinny-dipping in our pool.”

“Yes, please do!” Dad grinned and finished off his drink.

“Would you two please stop it? And Dad, I think you’ve had enough to drink. Shouldn’t you be checking your email for something?”

“Happy to see you happy, son. Tell Pepper she’s welcome here. All jokes aside, I do mean that.” He set his glass down and patted my shoulder then wandered back to his office in a less than straight line.

“You see why I keep him so busy? If he didn’t have something to do, he’d be in trouble all the time.”

I laughed and held Mom’s hand. “Thanks for understanding about Pepper. I owe you one.”

“It’s fine, son. I guess I’m just old and set in my ways.”

“You’re hardly old but set in your ways? Yeah, you are.”

Mom stared at me for a beat then added, “If she makes you happy, I’m happy. Let me get to know her. Why don’t you invite her to dinner tomorrow night? I can whip up something. Or order out. I’d like to talk with her, maybe make up for my bitchiness to her the last time.”

I smiled and felt more relaxed. “That would be nice. I’ll do that.” With my mind back on Pepper, I turned to leave and imagined the smile she’d give me when I told her the news. I stopped and turned around as a new thought came into my head. “By the way, where are you two off to this time? Another plague-stricken nation?”

“No, actually, we’re doing an orphanage tour. We’ve had to put off the trip to Africa indefinitely but thankfully, the vaccines were delivered,” Mom replied.

“Where are these orphanages?”

“Mostly in Russia and some in Eastern Europe. Don’t worry, we’re not adopting but your dad’s been asked to go and assess the facilities. I’m just tagging along for the ride and to keep him from getting lost.”

“Sounds interesting… and maybe less dangerous than Africa?”

She smiled, “Maybe, we’ll see. I’ll keep you posted.”

I leaned over and hugged her. “I love you. Thanks for everything, Mom.”

“Love you, too, son. By the way, Kwan left you something delicious in the refrigerator. I love that man. He’s not a chef—he’s a food magician.”

I laughed at her colorful description. Kwan came a few times a week to cook for us. The Destiny Beach crowd loved his Mediterranean-American fusion style, and he was in high demand. “Thanks, I’m starving.” I wandered into the kitchen and found a beautifully-presented plate of food in the refrigerator. I couldn’t readily identify anything on it, but it looked like a piece of art. Seemed a shame to ruin it but I removed the lid and grabbed a fork. I had no idea what I was eating, but it tasted amazing.

I rummaged through my mail as I ate and thought about Pepper. I thought I’d probably surprise her on the boat but first, I knew it was important to give her some time to herself, whether she wanted it or not. She
needed
it and as much as I wanted to see her again, it would be best if she had some time to decompress and process everything for a little while without me.

After I’d devoured Kwan’s creation, I showered and hung out in the living room. My phone rang and Pepper’s pretty face came up on my screen. “Hey, babe. Is this a booty call?” I joked, but she didn’t laugh.

She sighed, “I wish. I could use a booty call right now.” I sat up straighter on the couch.

“What’s up?”

“No other way to say it. Mills is pregnant.”

“What?” My stomach turned. More drama I didn’t need, especially after the previous conversation with my mom. “Is she sure? I mean—”

“Yeah, we’re pretty sure. Nobody knows yet, not even Fallon. He’s the father-to-be. We’re supposed to go talk to him in about an hour.”

“Wow. I don’t know what to say. Are you guys okay?”

“Yes, I’m okay. I miss you. I wish you were here.”

“I miss you, too.” I paused for a second and wondered how much of my plan to have her come stay with me I should reveal. This latest bombshell certainly threw a wrench into things. “So I was thinking… if you can, I’d like you to have dinner with us tomorrow night. My parents want to get to know you, but, I totally understand if this isn’t the right time to talk about dinner.”