Forbidden Forever (29 page)

"Get inside now,"
he tells her. "Chance, we will handle this and you will not have
any more problems," he assures and closes the door behind them.

I stand there, stunned
that my parents told them about the gossip Cathy had told them.

I am so relieved that
her parents did not approve of what Cathy did. I thought they were
pulling for us to get back together, too. It has always been about
their social circles. I know in that type of business they have to
keep up appearances but in this case, I am glad they are on my side.
I get on my bike and drive back to the condo so I can spend my day
with my wonderful family. The greatest things in life are free and
all the money in the world could not replace them. I have my treasure
and all the jewels I will need for my lifetime and they are all at
home waiting me to cook breakfast.

I get back to the condo
and it is still early. I walk into the kitchen and see my beautiful
Sapphire trying to make breakfast but failing miserably. The kids are
at the bar, making small talk and desperately trying not to laugh.
She tries so hard to make eggs but has a terrible time flipping them
over. I would eat it even if it fell on the ground and was trampled
on by cattle just so it wouldn't hurt her feelings. I walk over to
her, wrap my arms around her and slip the spatula out of her hand. "I
said I would do this when I got back." I smile a crooked smile
and get in front of the stove.

"I was hungry and
wasn't sure when you would be back. How did things go, by the way?"
she says.

"I'll tell you
about it later but everything should be okay from now on," I
assure her.

"Tonight my parents
would like us to come over for dinner if you all don't have any
plans," I tell everyone.

They are all excited so
I call my parents and let them know we will see them around 7:00pm.
After breakfast we will go down to the beach. Kaleb and I spend most
of the day surfing while the ladies relax in the sun. The day has
been relaxing with no more drama since this morning. I lie next to
Laney and talk about the future plans for Mouth she has. We discuss
the decision that Callie has to make and we have to help her with.
The thought of sending a teenager alone to another state is scary for
anyone to agree to. Personally I think it is an awesome opportunity
and she should go but as a mother, I know the fears Laney has. I know
she will decide the best way to go when it comes to her Callie.
Callie is excited and I know she is hoping that her mom says yes and
fast.

That evening we take
Callie's car to my parents and she drives us there. Thankfully she is
a great driver, but I catch Laney holding her breath a few times. It
is quite possibly one of the cutest things to watch. She tries so
hard to not let it be known that Callie is scaring the crap out of
her and I'm sure after the Cathy incident, it is much worse. Everyone
looks like the picture of a modern day Cleaver family getting out of
the car. Laney went out of her way to make sure everyone looked the
part even though they were already perfect to me. I love my treasures
and all of them are flawless to me. We ring the doorbell and wait for
my parents. Usually they are quick to answer the door, but this time
they don't answer. They know we are coming over so I ring the
doorbell again. When there is no answer I get the keys out of my
pocket and open the door. We walk in and I call their name. No
answer.

I tell them to sit in
the living room while I go find my parents. I walk in the kitchen and
see everything is prepared and ready for dinner to be served. I walk
up the stairs and my heart is racing from the fear that something is
wrong. My parents are always ready for guests and this is not like
them at all. I get to their bedroom door and I don't hear anything. I
stand there and listen, close my eyes and take a deep breath. Please
let them be okay. I turn the knob and swing the door open. When I
look up I come face and eyes with my parents in towels coming out of
the bathroom, giggling. You have got to be kidding me. When they see
me, Mom pushes Dad in front of her. "Son, what are you doing
here?" she squeals.

"It is seven
o'clock, Mom. We are here for dinner," I explain.

"Oh…we must
have lost track of time." My dad laughs.

"We will be done in
a minute, honey. Go on now," my mom says, blushing.

Holy shit! I cannot
believe I walked in on that. All these years and I have never
witnessed my parents in any sexual ways. Sure, I know they are adults
but eww, fuck, that is not what I want to think about. I walk
downstairs and tell them that they are getting dressed and will be
down soon. I cringe at the thought of them taking longer than I
expect. I show everyone around the downstairs and take them to the
back balcony so they can see the view. We live on the beach, but Mom
has made the back of the beach house elegant and inviting. There is a
waterfall that cascades down into the pool; palm trees and different
greenery surround every inch, giving the yard a very serene feeling.
I used to love to come here on summer vacations because it gave the
illusion of being in an exotic location. She has lanterns lit all
around the back porch area and small twinkling lights in the plants
and down by the pool.

My parents finally join
us and apologize for having lost track of time. I can't even look
them in the eyes after what I just witnessed. I am surprised I didn't
go blind after that. My mom goes in to start placing the food on the
table, and Laney follows her in to offer her help. Something about
her and my mom setting the table and getting along makes me smile.
Kaleb and my dad talk about his surfing competition and my dad is so
like my dad, bragging about his good ol' glory days when he used to
surf and how that is when my mom fell for him. I have heard this
story often, but it never gets old. Something about the man who
raised me, falling for my mom sticks in my heart and made me want
that for myself. Now, after half a lifetime of living without it, I
have finally found it. "No man should live a life without
finding his treasure," my dad tells Kaleb. He always told me to
find it, but then he thought Cathy was it. A marriage doesn't make an
instant happily ever after if it's with the wrong person.

We all go inside and
join my mom and Laney. The food is on the table and it smells
amazing. Mom has cooked grilled salmon and grilled chicken, both
marinated in a lemon pepper cream sauce, served with scalloped
potatoes and steamed broccoli and yeast rolls.

"Sapphire, will you
pass me the yeast rolls?" I ask since she is across from me,
sitting next to my mom.

My parents look at each
other and smile. "I'm glad to see you finally found the map,
son," my dad says to me.

"Me, too, Dad. It
was the best treasure on earth." I smile and look across at
Laney, who knows what I am talking about. She is blushing and beaming
ear to ear.

"When were you
going to tell us about the upcoming event?" my mom asks.

I look down at Laney's
wedding ring and answer, "We were before but Cathy happened
first. It got a little overshadowed."

"We would like to
throw an engagement party for you both, please," my mom
expresses.

Laney turns to my mom
and excitedly says yes and she just made my mom's year with one word.
My parents talk with the kids and discuss the possible singing career
for Callie. My mom is a huge music fan and finds it every interesting
that Callie will be going to voice lessons. She is over the moon with
excitement about having someone who can sing in our family. I guess
my singing isn't as good as I thought. I chuckle under my breath. She
even offers to let her stay in one of their hotels if she isn't
comfortable where they are putting her up. I assure my mom it is
already one of their hotels, so make sure Callie has the best room.
Laney has made up her mind already just hearing that because she
knows she can sneak up there whenever she wants. I smirk knowing I
said the right thing to get Laney's answer to be yes. I wasn't trying
to interfere. I just knew it was a hard choice for her to make alone.

After dinner, my mom
brings out the baby books, of course, and the girls ooh and awe over
my cute naked butt. The guys go sit in the living room and watch a
football game. It's Sunday night and the Patriots are playing the
Jets. This is how I have pictured my life to be for all of my adult
life. The parents and my family together doing all the things that a
family does. Someday I hope to add to this family and give my parents
a grandchild, but if that never happens I am perfectly happy with the
two amazing children I have now. I don't know Laney's take on another
kid. I am sure she thought she was done, but I wonder if she still
feels that way. Her answer doesn't matter; as long as we are
together, I am content.

Laney's
POV

Dinner last night was
perfect. Chance's parents are wonderful and caring people. I am so
glad that they have finally decided to accept our relationship and
stop pushing Cathy on him. Hopefully they realize that she is a loose
cannon who needs to be in a straight jacket. If she pulls that shit
again, I'm going to throw her ass in a fucking cannon and shoot her
to the moon. Today we are going back to Smash and signing the
contract approved by the lawyer. I feel so much better knowing the
place she will be staying is safe and can be monitored by staff that
Chance's parents employ. It is only two weeks, but to me I know it
will feel like forever. The longest she has been away from me was a
week when she went to summer camp with the Girl Scout group. Thank
goodness for cell phones these days. I couldn't imagine a day without
them now.

Callie drove us today in
her car. It sure is nice not having to drive that much anymore, but
sometimes I feel like my hands are going to stay squeezed this tight
if I don't loosen up. Chance pats my shoulder from the back and tries
to calm me, but I think I should be lying in the floor board,
pretending that it is him driving instead of her. She parks right
outside the building and Brooke and her get out first. Callie wanted
Brooke to come and see all the fancy record stuff. Girls love having
their friends involved in everything they do. We give them a minute
to snap instagram photos of themselves and send snap chats to all the
close ones. They are so cute and I hope, with all the changes, that
they will always be this close.

We are called into Nic's
office. We all take a seat on the couch and wait while he is taking
an urgent phone call from one of his artists. I have butterflies
swarming around every inch of my body. I don't know what has me so
nervous since the contract has been signed and the deal is basically
done. It must be the feeling a mother gets when her child is starting
a new journey in their life, always fearing the worst but hoping for
the best. I watch her for any doubt she might have that I have
missed, and I see none. She is a vision sitting there without an
ounce of fear in her body. Brooke is all smiles as she takes in her
best friend's new life, and I'm pretty sure she is drooling over the
record company's CEO, Nic. She is so much like her mom, eyeing the
hot guy no matter what his age is.

Nic hangs up the phone,
walks over and takes a seat in the chair. He introduces himself to
Brooke and she is grinning like she won the lottery. He proceeds to
discuss everything that is going to be involved for the two weeks
Callie is in Tennessee. He takes the contract from Chance, looks over
the signatures and signs on the dotted line to seal the deal. He
hands Callie a business card that has his personal cell phone on it
and takes us for a tour through the studio. We pop our head in a
sound proof room that is being used by one of the bands. The record
company is busy today since it is Monday, so we see a lot of artists
and bands. Callie and Brooke grab each other's hands and quietly
squeal when the see Hunter Hudson walk in. He nods and waves at us,
and walks into his sound room.

After the tour is
complete, Nic tells Callie that since she is leaving in less than two
months for the voice lessons, he would like her to come here once a
week to watch how the other artists prepare their music and record
CD's. He thinks it will benefit her to know how everything is done
and possibly to go through some music to see what songwriters have
that mesh with her personality and voice. The way the company teaches
the young artist every step and prepares them before tossing them to
the crowd has to be the best way to get them relaxed and confident in
their music. I know Nic is very different from the other record
companies because he treats his artists like family instead of a pile
of money. This is another reason why I agreed to let her go to
Tennessee. I know he truly cares enough about them to go through this
process.

We leave the studio and
drive back to Mouth. I have some last minute things to do before we
close for the evening. We are super hungry, so I call in an order
before the grill closes for the night. Kaleb is there helping with
everything at Mouth since we were in Orlando, which makes me feel
much better. He does such a great job at keeping everything flowing
and he is only 13 years old. I sure raised a hardworking and smart
young man. I like knowing that I raised my children to be strong even
though I was so weak for all those years with Michael. I hope they
never end up in the situation like I had myself in with that
marriage. I had some wonderful times with my children and I would
never change it, but I would have left him a lot sooner.