Chapter 12 Dove
DOVE
The last twenty-four hours have been a whirlwind. I’ve gone from traveling while pregnant, to giving birth on a plane, to having surgery, and now Winston is pushing me in the wheelchair through the hotel doors.
“Maybe I should fly home?” I hold baby Winston against my chest, hoping he stays asleep until I can get into my hotel room.
“I mean, I’m not going to be able to help Landon at all.
He’s going to be furious with me. It’s best if I fly back to New York.
I can call my best friend Hanson and my parents, so I won’t be alone while you finish conducting business here,” I add, wanting Winston to know I’d be safe.
I still can’t believe this is reality. There’s a part of me that’s wondering if this is all a dream. It has to be, right? There’s no way the man I’ve been dreaming about for eight months delivered our baby in an airplane and has now taken full responsibility for not only his son, but me as well.
I don’t care about Winston’s wealth. Don’t get me wrong, it is a very nice luxury, but that’s not why I wanted, ached, or dreamed of him.
Money has never ruled my life—though, if I want to be realistic, I know it would solve a lot of my issues.
I come from a family who worked paycheck to paycheck and who made sure we never went hungry.
They try to help me out financially when they can, and I also deny them.
I do okay. Sure, I live paycheck to paycheck too, but I can afford a roof over my head and food on the table. What more is there that’s important?
I don’t want Winston to think I want him for his money and I have no idea how to prove that to him. Less than forty-eight hours ago, he was a single bachelor living in New York, and now he’s carting around the woman he had a one-night stand with. I don’t want him to feel forced into responsibility.
“Mr. Warrick. May I help you with your bags?” the bellhop asks, standing straight in his red uniform with gold buttons.
“Yes, they’re in the car. We’ll be checking into the penthouse suite. You can have them delivered there.”
“Right away, Dr. Warrick.” The middle-aged man gives a slight bow with his hands behind his back.
“Wow, they know you by name.”
I want to slap myself across the forehead when I say that. Of course they know him by name. It is called War-Med Conference. Warrick Medical Conference. His name is literally on the damn event title. It’s his conference.
“Ignore what I just said,” I mumble, embarrassed that those words would come out of my mouth. “I’ll blame it on the insane twenty-four hours we’ve had. Oh, and sleep deprivation. That too.”
Winston chuckles, pushing the wheelchair through the automatic doors that open to a large crystal chandelier hanging in the middle of the lobby.
“Wow,” I say in awe, looking up to the high ceilings that have gorgeous art painted on them.
Gold metallic flecks outline the airbrushed clouds painted against a light blue sky.
Winged horses fly, pulling chariots belonging to warriors with long silver swords.
To the right, painted on the same ceiling, are a group of women being fed fruit, lounging as if they don’t have a worry in the world.
That sounds lovely. Who wouldn’t want a life without worry? Worrying is such a disease. It’s crippling to the soul and mind, pushing you lower and lower into the ground until that worry turns into so much more to be worried about. It’s a messy endless cycle.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Warrick stops pushing the wheelchair as we wait for the employee at the front desk to help the person before us. “My father paid a lot of money for that artist. Do you know every single room in this hotel has a painted ceiling? Each room has a different piece of art.”
“Wait, your parents built this hotel?”
“They own it,” he says with a smirk.
“Do they own everything?” I whisper, my eyes rounding as I continue to survey the white marble floors.
The countertop at the front desk is black, polished to the point that it looks like deep pools of black ink.
Even the employees seem rich with their crisp uniforms. The men wear black tailored suits with a gold tie while the women wear something similar, though I’ve seen a few wearing skirts while others wear trousers.
This hotel is very high-end. I’ve never experienced anything like it before.
“Are you okay? You seem overwhelmed, Love Dove.” Winston squats in front of me, smiling at baby Winston while he naps in my arms. “I do love this picture. Actually—” He tugs his phone out of his pocket, aiming it right at us. “Smile for me.”
I lift baby Winston closer to my face so the camera can actually see him.
“A perfect family does exist,” he says behind the phone, grinning as he snaps the picture. “That’s going to be my background.”
“Oh, no it is not,” I snicker, wanting nothing more than to take a nice hot shower. “You can take another one when I’ve had a good night’s rest, bathe, and maybe put on a little makeup so I look alive.”
“You’ve never looked more alive than you do right now. You’re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my entire life.” He stands, kissing the middle of my forehead. “But whatever you want.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” I wink at him, wanting him to know that I’m not that serious about my looks.
Only a little.
“Dr. Warrick,” the front desk person greets him.
Winston pushes me closer to the front desk, leaving me with an up-close view of the desk.
My reflection shines back at me, leaving me stunned with how clean this hotel is.
I’m flabbergasted, which is probably a little ridiculous, but this is the nicest hotel I’ve ever seen. I’m allowed to be stunned.
“Hi, I need you to credit her room back on the card she used. My fiancée and son will be staying with me at the penthouse.”
“Of course, sir. What is your fiancée’s name?”
“My name is Dove Blair.” I speak up for myself, not wanting to seem like I’m completely useless. “I work for the Vain Medical Corporation. I’m here for the conference as well.” I do my best to swallow a grunt when baby Winston stretches and lightly kicks me in my sore stomach.
“Are you okay?” Winston is by my side immediately. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. He wiggled and stretched his legs against my stomach. That’s all.” That hurt much more than I thought. A wave of nausea causes my head to swim.
“Here. I got him, Love Dove. It’s okay. Just rest.” Winston swoops in to take our son in his muscular arms.
“Yeah, okay. Thank you. I need a minute. I need to lie down, I think. Are we almost done?” I swallow, closing my eyes as my vision begins to sway. Sweat breaks out over my forehead as a wave of heat washes over me.
“Two more minutes,” the front desk employee says as he leans over the counter to speak to me. “I’ll get you to room as soon as possible, ma’am. We only ever want you to be comfortable.” His fingers fly over the keyboard, the loud clacks of the keys ringing in my head.
With two fingers, I massage my temples, needing this feeling to pass.
“The company card has been refunded. Here are your keys to the penthouse, Dr. Warrick. If you need anything, please let us know and we will help anyway we can.”
“Thank you for your help—”
Winston’s kindness is interrupted by Landon. Somehow, even the sound of his voice has me feeling sicker.
“Dove. Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling and texting you nonstop since yesterday. I needed you here on time and how am I not surprised that you aren’t here when I need you to be?”
I narrow my eyes, keeping the circular motion on my eyelids. “I’ve never been late a day working for you, Landon. Ever. So I don’t know where that insult even comes from.”
“I had someone waiting to pick you up at the airport only for you not to show. Do you know how much money that cost me? That’s going to come out of your check.”
Winston grips my shoulder, places our son in my arms again, and steps in front of me, concealing my body from Landon’s verbal assault.
“If you want to speak to someone with so much disrespect, Landon, you can point your venom at me. Speak to my fiancée like that again, and I will kick you out of this hotel and conference. I’ll ban you for life.
I would already, if it weren’t for the fact that you have several speeches planned for young doctors who are more important to me than you are. ”
“Winston Warrick,” Landon sneers with so much hatred, I think he gained a new wrinkle on the side of his mouth. “How does it feel to ride Daddy’s coattails all the way to the top and have no talent for yourself? Just Daddy’s name.”
My brows rise so high, I’m sure they would fly off my face if they could. I swaddle my son, doing my best to keep him asleep while the boys argue and I fight not to throw up.
“Ah, Landon. Still as shortsighted as ever, I see. That hasn’t changed. How does it feel to be so bitter and jealous over success that will never be yours?” Winston’s hand cups the back of my neck, his thumb brushing back and forth.
His touch alone makes the sudden sickness ease. It doesn’t go away completely, but I’ll take all the relief I can get.
“My issues with you, Warrick, ended years ago. If you don’t mind, I’d like to speak to my employee who couldn’t be bothered to send me an update. Move out of the way.”
Instead, Winston takes a step forward, invading Landon’s space. “I’m not going to let you see her.”
Landon steps to the side and Winston blocks him.
“This is childish, Warrick. You’re bringing attention to yourself,” Landon says.
“Childish? Coming from a man who’s verbally abusing a woman who went into labor on the plane while she was on the way to a conference you blackmailed her into coming to.
Good thing I was on the flight, or she would have died.
She would have bled to death because she hemorrhaged, Landon.
She spent yesterday in the hospital and right now she should be resting, as she has around six weeks to heal from her laparotomy.
She might feel better in four weeks, but I’m not going to push it. ”
“She’s going to miss work for six weeks!” Landon shouts so loud, the entire hotel quiets to look at him.
I hide my face by staring at my adorable child while the men fight.
“Really? That’s all you can think about when your employee nearly died? You haven’t changed a bit. You’re still the selfish, greedy asshole you’ve always been. You aren’t going to get anywhere near my fiancée. Not now, not today, not ever.”
“You keep saying fiancée. How the hell are you engaged to my employee? There’s no way you know each other.”
I press my lips together to hide my smile. I’ve been wanting to ask Winston why he’s been calling me his fiancée too. I’ve liked the sound too much to ask the question myself. I figured he’d tell me if he wanted.
“That’s none of your concern, Landon.”
“The fuck it isn’t,” Landon growls. “She’s mine. She’s my employee. My personal assistant. She has to answer to me.”
“She doesn’t have to answer to you or anyone. She doesn’t have to answer to me either,” Winston says, sidestepping Landon again to block him from getting to me.
Landon sighs with annoyance.
“Is there an issue here? You’re causing a scene, and if it continues, I’m going to have to ask you to leave, Mr. Vainton,” a security guard states in a firm tone.
Landon scoffs. “Dove, come on. Come with me. Now.”
The way Landon says my name has a chill running through my body.
“No. I just had a baby. Winston’s baby. I’m no longer able to help you with this conference. You’ll have to find someone else.” He can be upset all he wants. Landon was so sure I wouldn’t go into labor on the plane, and look what happened.
“If you don’t come with me right now, you can kiss your job goodbye. You’ll be fired.”
My heart stammers in my chest. I knew this would be the choice when I finally had baby Winston, but like a fool, I hoped Landon had a small amount of empathy in him.
I was wrong. He couldn’t care less if I’m in pain or that I almost died.
He doesn’t care that I’m holding my child right now and I’m losing strength the longer I sit here hearing them fight.
I need this job. I need the healthcare, but isn’t this what I’ve been wanting? I’ve been wanting an out.
“You’ll be receiving a call from my lawyer and I’ll see you in court for wrongful termination.
Dove doesn’t need you. She has me. She has a job, so she will no longer be your employee.
She’s officially mine.” Winston steps closer to Landon.
“Mine in every fucking way, Landon. You know you can’t beat me.
You never have before. What makes you think you can now?
” He steps behind me, grabbing the handles of my wheelchair.
“Come on, Dove. Let me take care of you and take you to the room where you can rest.”
“Dove! You’ll regret this! No one will hire you once I blacklist you from major corporations in the city!”
Winston stops right as we get to the elevator. “What didn’t you hear, Landon? She works for me. She doesn’t need anyone else when I can give her everything.” He slaps his hand on the button of the elevator.
A ding sounds as the door opens and Winston pushes me forward, leaving me with one question blaring in my head.
“How in the world do you know Landon Vainton?”