29. Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Twenty-nine
Shira
The time for my babymoon girls’ weekend had arrived before I knew it. Bea, Clara, and I were in Breckinridge, only a couple hours from Denver, but it felt like an entirely different world.
I wasn’t a skier, and neither was Frank, so we’d never come here. As soon as Clara drove us down the main strip, I fell in love with the town. Even more when we wound our way up a mountain to our cabin. It was early spring, so it wasn’t as busy as it probably was during the height of ski season, but less hustle and bustle was a nice change.
Our cabin was set back on a wooded lot. Huge picture windows overlooked ski ranges in the distance. The interior was modern rustic, with wood beams, vaulted ceilings and massive stone fireplaces which could be turned on with the flip of a switch.
As soon as I chose my bedroom, I took a picture and texted it to Roman.
Me: We’re here! Bea and Clara gave me the bedroom on the first floor so I don’t even have to climb stairs. Stop worrying about me. I’m great, and the house is beautiful. We’re going to find something to eat before our first spa appointment.
Roman: Looks nice. Make sure the locks are secure.
Me: Locks? What are locks?
Me: The locks are fine, Rome. I’m fine, and so is Beanie. Dr. Sharma told you not to worry. I promise I’ll keep you updated on my activities and how I’m feeling.
Roman: Not the time for jokes when you’re thirty weeks pregnant and hours away from me.
Roman: Sorry, Goldie. I want you to have a really nice, relaxing weekend. Ignore me. It’s hard for me not to hover.
Me: I don’t mind reassuring you, so, no, I won’t ignore you. But don’t spend the entire time I’m away worrying. I would hate that.
Roman: I’ll give it a whirl. ?? Be good. Say hi to your girls for me.
Me: Talk to you soon. XX
I tossed my phone down and smiled. It was cute how concerned Roman was about Beanie and me. He didn’t even try to hide it. The man needed to be within touching distance of my bump as often as possible, or he got cranky. He possessed a fierce protective streak only a notch down from his need to caretake. I didn’t try to deny him either.
Like when I complained about my hatred of my bras, he went out and bought me a pile of angel-soft nursing bras. He’d researched this for several days before making the purchase and had presented a list of backup options in case I hadn’t liked them. There was no need, though. My boobs now felt like they were nestled in a cloud.
Doing this sort of thing was who he was.
I had a feeling by the time I got home Monday, he’d be pacing and tearing his hair out. Either that or driving his brothers crazy.
Clara stuck her head in my room. “Are you ready for lunch, or do you need to rest?”
I hopped up from my bed, pressing my hands together. “Lunch. These days, I’m never too tired to eat.”
“Then let’s go get you and that baby fed.”
After a huge lunch, we headed over for our first round of spa treatments at the Sky View Resort. Pedicures came first, though it was hard to call the extensive massaging, masks, and scrubs the same as what we got at the little salon we regularly went to back home.
Once our feet were baby soft, we parted for facials.
My skin was brand new by the time I made it back to the locker room to get redressed. Bea and Clara were spending time in the sauna, so I planned to go sit in the resort’s lobby next to the massive, crackling fireplace.
I was pulling on my leggings when someone gasped nearby. I turned and found myself face to face with Francesca in a robe matching the one I’d just discarded. She wasn’t looking at me, though. At least, not my face. Her focus was on my belly, which was bare since I hadn’t yet put on my shirt.
“You’re pregnant.”
My hand went to my bump instinctively. “Hi, Francesca.”
“You’re really pregnant,” she repeated, then lowered herself to the bench behind her. Once she did, I grabbed my shirt, yanked it over my head, then sat down on the bench a few feet away.
“How are you?” I asked.
Finally, she tore her eyes from my belly to look at my face. “I’m…shocked. Are you remarried?”
“No. This was a surprise. A happy one, though.”
“I expect so.” She blinked a few times, bringing her hand to her chest. “My father didn’t want more children.”
“No.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “No, he didn’t, and I was okay with that. Life changes, though.”
She rubbed her lips together. “Is the father involved?”
“Yes. He’s excited to have a child.”
I’d let Francesca walk all over me, for Frank’s sake. He had loved his daughter very much and made it his mission to shield her from strife and the world’s capacity for ugliness. He did this out of guilt for putting her through her parents’ volatile marriage and subsequent divorce but also because he simply felt it was his job to give her an easy-breezy life.
The days of doing that were over now. Francesca and I had no more reasons to exist in the same sphere. She didn’t get to know about Roman and Beanie. They were mine, and I was keeping them to myself.
“Good. That’s good.” She waved her hand near her face and pushed out a humorless laugh. “Pardon me. I’m flustered. I didn’t expect to see you here, let alone hugely pregnant.”
I pretended to flinch. “No one wants to be called huge.”
“Oh, right. I just meant you’re really big.”
I barked out a laugh. “That isn’t better.”
She gestured to my belly with both hands. “Well, you are. I mean, you’re normally so tiny. It’s disconcerting to see you with big boobs and round cheeks and that belly. It’s not a bad thing, just…”
“Disconcerting.” I laughed. “I understand. Sometimes I shock myself when I look in the mirror.”
Huffing, she rolled her eyes. “My god, Shira. How can you be so nice?”
“I’m not being—”
She cut me off. “I always assumed it was fake, but since leaving GoldMed, I’ve had far too much time to think and came to realize I convinced myself of that because it made disliking you easier.”
This wasn’t what I expected to hear from her.
“Why did you need to dislike me?” I asked, out of curiosity more than anything.
“Because…” She rubbed her palms along her thighs. “Because my father married you when you were barely out of your teens. If I made you into this…this vixen who’d seduced him, then you were the bad guy and he was your victim, and I didn’t have to think of my father as the kind of man who would do that.”
I sighed, suddenly exhausted. “He was human. He made mistakes, but he wasn’t a bad guy, Francesca. He can still be your hero in your memories if that’s what you want.”
She nodded, her lips rolled over her teeth. “He isn’t my hero, just my dad.” And then her shining eyes found mine. Francesca Goldman was a stunningly beautiful woman, and she was well aware of that fact. This was the first time I had seen her look real, and she was more lovely than ever. “I don’t understand why he didn’t tell me how sick he was.”
“I don’t either,” I admitted. “Except he clung to his pride like it was his lifeline. He didn’t want you seeing him that way.”
“And he made you be the one to tell me I had to stay away.”
“Yes.” My shoulders rolled forward. “I should have fought him harder, but it happened faster than either of us had expected. There was no time. I’m sorry for that. I truly am.”
That was the only apology she would get from me. She might’ve been contrite now, but she’d spent years hating me and, months after her father died, outright abusing and stealing from me. Not to mention, she’d put my cat outside—something I’d never forgive.
But I should have fought Frank when he wouldn’t allow me to tell his daughter his heart was failing. I should have called her and explained the severity of his illness. But going along with his wishes had been easier, even when I knew they were wrong. I would always regret that they didn’t have the time together they should have. Pride could be such an ugly thing, and Frank had been overflowing with it.
There was no going back. No changing things. All we could do was acknowledge what we’d done wrong and try not to make the same mistakes.
“Thanks.” She tossed her hair behind her shoulder and straightened her spine. “I suppose I should apologize for being a bitch.”
I waited, but an apology was not forthcoming. I guessed I was the only one acknowledging what I’d done wrong.
I almost snickered at how very Francesca that was, but I didn’t think she’d take kindly to being laughed at, and I was hoping to escape this encounter unscathed.
She went on. “I was working with what I had, you know? My dad’s dead, and I’m pissed about that. I think anyone would be. Yeah, I might’ve screwed you over with GoldMed, but it’s not like you’re not set for life. I know Daddy was generous with your inheritance. It’s public record, after all.”
“He was generous,” I agreed. “I’m very lucky.”
She lifted her chin, fully coming back to her classic Francesca haughtiness. “You are. I’m pleased you’re aware of it.”
I smiled wanly at her.
“It’s good we had this talk. Now it can all be water under the bridge and we can move on.” She nodded toward my bump. “Good luck with the baby. I’m glad you’re getting a second chance at life. Hopefully the baby’s father isn’t old enough to be yours too. But…I don’t know, maybe old is your type. Who am I to judge?”
I let myself laugh. “Thank you. Good luck to you too.”
When Bea and Clara found me a little while later, curled up in an armchair by the fireplace in the lobby, I still had a smile on my face.
Bea circled her finger near my mouth. “What’s this about?”
“I had a run-in with my former stepdaughter,” I said.
Clara’s brows shot up. “What? She’s here?”
Bea put her hands on her hips. “I haven’t been in a fight since high school, but I’m ready. Where is she?”
My shoulders shook from laughter. “No, Beatrice. You will not get into fisticuffs on my behalf. Besides, Fran and I came to an understanding. She was barely even a bitch.”
Clara perched on the arm of my chair and peered down at me with a concerned frown. “What kind of understanding?”
“Basically, we wished each other well.” I lifted a shoulder. “I wouldn’t say it was a nice conversation, but I’m glad we had it. No matter how she’s treated me, she deserved better from her father.”
“Bitch deserves jack,” Bea muttered.
“Maybe.” I spread my fingers out on my belly. I hadn’t realized I’d been carrying guilt over what had happened with Francesca at the end of Frank’s life until my load had been lightened. “Maybe I deserved a chance to explain and apologize. Now, it’s done, and we’re moving on. That’s how she and I left it, and I feel pretty great about that.”
With a soft groan, Bea plopped down on the other arm of my chair and leaned over to kiss my head. “Fine. Be a much better person than I am.”
Clara snorted. “Our girl couldn’t hold a grudge to save her life.”
I swiveled my head between them. “You know what I am going to hold a grudge about? If we don’t immediately return to that bakery we passed on the way here so I can consume my weight in chocolate chip cookies, I’ll be absolutely pissed until the end of time.”
Luckily for us, the bakery was still open when we arrived. Even luckier, no one said a word when I bought every last cookie left in the case and didn’t share a single one.