14. CHAPTER 14
Alex was irritated beyond words as he made his way to the Summer Inn Hotel, where Blackwell Productions had rented most of the conference rooms while they were filming on the island.
Thank goodness for automatic cars, Alex thought. He wouldn’t have been able to drive a stick shift with a broken hand. Alex didn’t want anyone to drive him to his conference room office because the meeting he was going to was not going to be a good one. Alex pulled into the large parking lot and exited the car, realizing that it wasn’t his car he’d taken but Daniella’s.
Harley had given Alex a lift to Beach Plum Cottage before the wedding, and Harriet had arrived with Daniella in Daniella’s car. Alex sighed. Daniella must’ve thought they were only just married, and Alex was already taking liberties, like using her car. He glanced at the back and saw Daniella’s doctor’s bag on the floor.
“Shoot, I hope Daniella won’t need that in the next few hours,” Alex said, exiting the car. “This shouldn’t take that long, though.”
He glanced at his attire, realizing he was still in his tuxedo. It probably wasn’t something you saw often on Plum Island in the early afternoon. Alex shook it off and strode into the hotel with purpose. Pulling out his phone, he quickly messaged his father. Not that Alex needed him. Only Alex had promised he’d keep his father informed of any new developments in the situation he was about to face.
Dad, I’m going to a meeting with your buddy. He called me and demanded I meet him at our office at the Summer Inn and threatened to come to my house if I didn’t. I will let you know how it goes.
A.
Alex greeted the hotel staff he knew along the way to his office, where his new assistant, Donna Hobbs, greeted him.
“Hello, Donna,” Alex greeted her with a warm smile. It wasn’t her fault she had to call him.
“Afternoon, Mr. Blackwell,” Donna greeted him, a look of relief crossing her features when she saw he wasn’t upset with her. “I’m sorry to have to call you in when you’re on sick leave.” She glanced at the conference room that had been allocated as Alex’s office. “But the man was insistent…” She swallowed. “And very rude. Especially to the hotel staff.”
“I’ll have a word with him,” Alex promised. “Ignore his rudeness. He’s not a nice person. I have no idea why my father has put up with him all these years.”
“He was throwing the Blackwell’s name around to get him what he wanted,” Donna warned.
“Thanks, Donna, I’ll take it from here,” Alex said.
“Okay.” Donna nodded, and before she left, she smiled. “Congratulations on your wedding. I believe you married Doctor Thornton? You couldn’t have picked anyone nicer or more caring.”
Alex was stunned that Donna knew he’d gotten married. “Thank you.” His brow creased. “Does everyone know?”
“I guess, pretty much!” Donna nodded. “The island is not that big, and even if no one knew, about ten minutes ago, the man in your office announced at the top of his lungs when he stormed in here, cussing about how you had the nerve to marry a little nobody and run away from your responsibilities.”
“What?” Alex spluttered. “He said that?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so,” Donna told him. “I was trying to move to your office, but he was determined to announce it to everyone in the foyer.”
“What an idiot,” Alex said through clenched teeth. “I guess it’s going to be splashed all over the tabloids by tonight anyway. We were trying to keep it quiet.”
“I understand,” Donna said. “If the press had known, they would have stormed the island.”
“Do me a favor, Donna,” Alex asked, taking a steadying breath as he eyed his office door. “If I’m not out of the office in forty-five minutes, interrupt me with a meeting I have to go to.”
“Or a flight you have to catch for your honeymoon?” Donna suggested.
“Perfect,” Alex said, about to step into his office when his father messaged back.
Remember to record the conversation, Alex.
I’ve already set up the app,Alex replied.
He scrolled to the app and hit the record button as he walked into the office, nearly choking to death at the smell of cigars. In between the smoke, Todd Spiers was puffing away.
“Todd,” Alex greeted him, walking straight for the glass doors and pushing them open. “Please put that out. I don’t know if you know this, but you can’t smoke here.”
“Well, it’s your fault,” Todd Spiers drawled in his Texas accent. “You took so bleeding long to get here and I was trapped in this excuse of an office.”
“I was busy with a prearranged engagement,” Alex pointed out icily as he loosened his jacket buttons and took a seat behind his desk. “You did not have a valid appointment, and I hate to point this out to you, but people have lives, and we don’t plan them around you making a sudden appearance.”
“Didn’t your daddy teach you manners, boy?” Todd couldn’t find an ashtray, so he put his cigar out in the plant on Alex’s desk, making Alex’s jaw clenched. “That ain’t no way to speak to ya elders now.”
“Respect isn’t a right, Todd. It’s something that’s earned,” Alex informed him. “I don’t have time to sit here and argue about age dynamics. So, could you please get to the point of this meeting you demanded? And also, can you explain why you’d deem it necessary to spew lies about me in the middle of the foyer of this busy hotel?”
“I don’t spew lies, boy,” Todd’s eyes flashed angrily.
Alex placed the phone he’d been clutching in his hand on the desk before him. “Would you care to elaborate on your public announcement of me not owning my responsibilities?” He leaned back in his chair. His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Todd Spiers.
“So what?” Todd raised an eyebrow challengingly. “I’m free to say what I want, and I’m mad as a cat dunked in a bath of water.”
“That doesn’t give you the right to share your views with anyone who’ll listen before discussing them with the person you’re accusing of shirking their responsibilities,” Alex informed him coldly and glanced at his wristwatch. “Now, would you mind getting to the point of why you demanded this meeting and what I’ve done to incur your anger?”
“You know why I’m here,” Todd said, glaring at Alex. “You’ve made a mockery out of my little girl and left her …” Anger flashed in the man’s beady eyes. “You’ve gone and left her in the state you have after promising to marry her and then declaring you’re not the marrying kind.” His eyes ran over Alex’s suit. “Only to get married to a little nobody doctor from the backwaters of this town.”
“Excuse me?” Alex’s brows rose as he sat staring at the man in disbelief. “You hauled me away from my wedding day because Monica’s feeling slighted about me marrying someone else?”
“Slighted?” Todd spluttered. “You call jilting my daughter and then leaving her pregnant slighted?”
Alex felt like someone had thrown a bucket of ice water over him at Todd’s words. He gave his head a slight shake, wondering if he’d heard the man correctly.
“Excuse me?” Alex gaped at Todd in disbelief. “Monica’s pregnant?”
“Don’t play dumb,” Todd’s voice rattled with anger. “Monica told you, and you refused to see her or talk things through. I’m here to get you to annul this joke of a wedding, and you’ll then marry my daughter.”
Is he crazy?Alex couldn’t quite believe what Todd was saying. “I will stop you right there!” Alex’s voice was low and laced with steel. “How many months pregnant is Monica?”
“I don’t know!” Todd shrugged. “My daughter was so embarrassed and upset to tell us about it.”
“So Monica never told you how far along she was?” Alex’s brows rose. “Is she showing?”
“She’s put on weight,” Todd told him.
“Let me get this straight!” Alex forced his anger down. “You came all the way from New York to Plum Island to drag me back to New York to marry your allegedly pregnant daughter without concrete evidence that she’s even pregnant.”
“Are you calling my daughter a liar?” Todd was getting more and more worked up. “That’s she making being pregnant up?”
“No.” Alex shook his head. What a freakin’ idiot! How desperate is he to get his name attached to the Blackwells? “I don’t know if Monica is pregnant or not, so I’m not saying she’s lying about that. But I can say with complete certainty that she’s lying about me being the father.”
“I beg your pardon?” Todd growled. “If she says you’re the baby’s daddy, I’m going to believe her over a man trying to fob his responsibilities off because he has a new hot romance going.”
“Then you are a fool for firstly barging in here and spewing nonsense to people I work with. Then there’s the fact that your daughter and I didn’t have that kind of a relationship. I never asked your daughter to marry me, and I never had any intention to.“ Alex ticked off some cold, hard facts to the man. “I only dated Monica because she asked me if I’d help her out and act as her boyfriend because she didn’t want to marry the man you’d picked out for her.”
“Now you’re lying,” Todd raised his voice. “Making up stories. I wouldn’t marry any of my girls off to a man they didn’t want to marry.”
“I know.” Alex nodded. “I realized that when our fake dating went on for nearly six months and she started hinting about moving in together and getting engaged. That’s when I ended things with her, as I couldn’t pretend anymore.”
“Stop lying so you can make me doubt my daughter so you can get away with not taking some responsibility for my daughter’s pregnancy.” Todd slammed his hand on Alex’s desk, making the contents jump.
“I’m not the one lying to you,” Alex said, relaxing against the chair. He steepled his fingers in front of him. “And here’s another few reasons why your daughter’s story makes no sense. Monica and I parted ways nearly nine months ago, so even if we’d had that kind of relationship, you’d have most definitely known she was pregnant.” He raised an eyebrow. “Then there’s the very real fact that I can’t have kids and haven’t been able to since I was twenty-one and contracted mumps.”
Todd gasped and stared at Alex in shocked disbelief. “What?”
“While I’m not calling your daughter a liar, I’d say she was a very clever manipulator,” Alex pointed out. “She’s already caused enough friction between our families with her lies about me asking her to marry her and lying about the length of our relationship. Then there’s the bogus lawsuit Monica had drawn up against me trying to claim half of my possessions.”
“You expect me to believe you over my baby girl?” Todd growled. “You Blackwells will do anything to protect your precious reputation.”
“And you, sir, alongside your youngest daughter, seem to be trying to do everything you can to become a part of my family,” Alex pointed out. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a new wife to get home to.”
“I didn’t say this meeting was over,” Todd said indignantly. “How dare you accuse my family of this.”
“I didn’t accuse your family of anything,” Alex told him. “And this meeting is over because I said it is.“ He pushed his chair back. “I would really like you to leave.”
Todd couldn’t believe Alex was talking to him like he was.
“Wait until your father hears about this.” Todd shoved his chair back and sprang to his feet. “You’re going to be sorry.”
“The only thing I’m sorry about is trying to be a good person and helping your self-centered, spoiled daughter in the first place.“ Alex couldn’t stop the words from leaving his lips.
Since he’d broken off with Monica, there wasn’t a day she didn’t message him and try to get him to meet with her to discuss their friendship. Alex didn’t know how many times he’d blocked Monica’s number until he was forced to get a new phone number. Getting a new number was a pain in the neck.
“You haven’t heard the last of me,” Todd warned him. “Your father’s not going to be pleased when I pull my equipment out of all the movies.”
“I think you’ll find that there have been a lot of changes in the past year since Alex, my sister, and I took over running Blackwell Productions,” Alex stated. “But we’ve slowly been phasing out Speirs props, stunts, and equipment ever since your inferior equipment nearly killed two people three years ago.”
“That was never proven to be because of my equipment,” Todd almost gloated. “It was bad timing on those stupid stunt people and the engineers. Not my equipment.”
“Now that we’ve found the train that mysteriously went missing from the evidence lot, I’m sure the forensic team will be able to prove otherwise,” Alex said, seeing the man’s face pale. “It seems someone had it dumped down the side of a cliff not too far from the film site.”
Alex put his phone in his inside jacket pocket and started to usher Todd from his office. “That’s what you get when you try to cut corners and hire substandard workers to cut prices. They dump the evidence down a side of the cliff and don’t check to see that it went all the way down.”
“That was years ago.” Todd moved toward the door. “You can’t reopen the case. That stuntman wouldn’t dare.”
“I think he will,” Alex said confidently. “Can I get security to walk you to your car?”
Todd spluttered and looked at Alex with an ‘the audacity of Alex’ look on his face.
“I hope things go well with Monica’s pregnancy and you find the real father,” Alex told Todd with a smug smile. “It’s important for a child to grow up with both parents if they are lucky enough to.”
As Alex pushed Todd out of his office, he called one of his security details over.
“I’m going to demand a paternity test,” Todd spluttered angrily.
“By all means,” Alex said. “But I suggest that you find out if Monica is really pregnant first because it would be really embarrassing for you a couple of months down the line if she’s not.”
“What the magazines say about you is true and what I’ve always known,” Todd said angrily. “You are the world’s most arrogant, self-serving jerk.”
“Everyone has a right to their own opinion,” Alex told him. “Will you please take Mr. Spiers to his car?” he asked one of the security guards.
The agent nodded and stepped aside, “After you, sir.”
“I can see myself out,” Todd spat. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“It’s protocol at the moment, sir,” the agent told him.
Todd huffed and stormed out with the agent following him, and Alex breathed a sigh of relief, running a shaky hand through his hair. He was still reeling in disbelief. Monica’s actions to try and get back into Alex’s life were insane, and this latest stunt was a testament to that.
“What the freakin’ heck!” Alex muttered under his breath, giving himself a mental shake.
“Is everything okay, Mr. Blackwell?” Donna appeared beside him.
“All good, thanks, Donna,” Alex walked back into his office, remembering he’d left the glass doors open. “Could you get my father on the line, please?”
“Certainly.” Donna nodded and walked toward her desk.
As Alex went to sit down, his eyes widened when he saw that someone had entered his office in the short time he’d left it. He stood staring at the writing scribbled on his desk in permanent marker.
I warned you and the doctor about getting married. Your refusal to heed my warning will cost you both, and this time, you won’t be able to fix what’s about to break.
Alex’s desk phone bleeped, making him jump. He picked up the phone.
“I have your father on the line for you,” Donna told him.
“Thanks. Oh, and Donna, is there something that can make a permanent marker out of wood?” Alex asked her.
“I know nail varnish remover usually gets rid of Sharpie stains,” Donna told him. But I’m not sure it can be used on wood.”
“Can you find out, please?” Alex sighed. Donna clicked off the line.
“Alex?” Arthur Blackwell’s voice echoed down the line. “How did the meeting go? What did Todd want? Does he know we’re reopening the investigation into that stunt accident?”
“He does now,” Alex said. “I told him.”
“Good,” Arthur muttered.
“But that’s not why he was here,” Alex told his father, running a hand through his hair.
“Oh, no.” Arthur’s voice dropped and filled with angry frustration. “Monica?”
“Yup.” Alex sighed. “I think it’s time we told the family the truth about her.”
“Are you sure?” Arthur asked.
Alex told his father about the conversation. “I also just got another threat from whoever’s working with Ron Jackson scrawled on my desk in Sharpie.”
“Take a picture of it, son,” Arthur suggested. “Remember that documenting things like this can come in handy as you never know how people try to twist things.”
“I know!” Alex said. “Hard evidence saves innocent people from paying the price for the guilty.
“Your grandad was right about that,” Arthur assured Alex. He paused for a few seconds before asking. “How are you holding up, son?”
“I wish I weren’t here. I’d rather be home with Daniella,” Alex admitted. “Last night, I told Daniella the truth.”
Arthur went quiet for so long that Alex thought the line had gone dead. “Dad?”
“I’m here, son,” Arthur said. “What do you mean by everything?”
“I told her about the investigation I did into her,” Alex admitted.
“And did you tell her about Monica and …” Arthur cleared his throat. “Your first love?”
“No!” Alex shook his head. “Nor did I admit how I really felt about her.”
“That seems to me like you didn’t tell her everything, son,” Arthur pointed out. “I like her. Your mother and I agree that Daniella and her daughter are special. If you want to stand a chance of winning Daniella’s heart, as you already won Emily over, you need to tell Daniella the truth.” He sighed. “Lies and secrets are like living in a house of cards. It can be blown over too easily, but one built on trust and truth seals the relationship in concrete.”
“I know.” Alex closed his eyes, letting the cool sea breeze blow onto his skin. “I’m going to take her for dinner on the yacht, and I’ll tell her everything.”
“Good on you,” Arthur’s voice rang with pride. “Your mother and I are rooting for you.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Alex said. He was so grateful to parents like his. “I’d better get back to Daniella before Harriet talks her to death.”
“Do you think it’s wise to leave Daniella alone with Harriet?” Arthur laughed. “We love Harry, but she doesn’t have a filter at times.”
Alex agreed. After a few more minutes of his father’s pep talk, they hung up, with Alex promising to let his father handle Todd Spiers and Monica.
Alex sat in his office chair, staring out at the ocean enjoying the fresh sea air and quiet for a few more moments. It had been such a nerve-racking day. Alex had married the woman of his dreams for all the wrong reasons, been accused of being a baby daddy, and someone had ruined his oak desk with a Sharpie warning.
It was the perfect start to the rest of his life. Alex shook his head and stood up. He walked to the glass doors and pulled them closed, hoping the pungent smell of cigars had been aired out. He checked that the glass doors were locked, left his office, said goodbye to Donna, and was walking toward Daniella’s car when his phone rang.
Alex pulled it out of his pocket, his heart jolting when he saw it was Daniella. A smile split his face as he answered, “Hello. I was just thinking about you and that I had your car.”
“Alex!” Daniella’s panicked voice stiffened him, and little shocks of alarm zapped his nerves. “You need to get home now.”
“Daniella, are you okay?” Alex yanked the car door and was about to slide in when he saw people rushing into the hotel, chattering like something big was happening.
“No!” Daniella breathed. “It’s…”
Before she could finish, Alex smelled fire. His heart froze in his chest, and his head turned to see billows of smoke rising in the distance.
“Your house!” Daniella wailed. “It’s on fire.”
“Did you call the fire brigade?” Adrenaline spurted through Alex as he slid into the car and pulled off with squealing tires. He ignored the dinging from not putting on a seatbelt. “I’m on my way. Are you and Harriet okay?”
“We’re fine…” Daniella started coughing. “We tried to save a few things.”
The line went dead, and Alex’s heart kicked into overdrive as he pulled out of the parking lot and sped toward his house. Alex couldn’t pull into the driveway, so he was stopped by the side of the road where a line of other cars had pulled over to see the flames engulfing his house.
Alex pushed past the crowd and was allowed past the yellow tape the police had cordoned off the area with by one of Alex’s security detail.
“Alex!” Daniella’s voice was like a balm on his tender nerves.
She pushed past the police and avoided a firefighter as she dashed toward him, throwing herself into his arms.
“Thank goodness you’re alright.” Alex pulled her against himself, holding her tight as he cradled her shaking form.
“I was so scared you were inside,” Daniella’s voice shook with fear. “We got home, and there was this blast as the glass shattered.” She turned her head. “It landed on Jennifer’s car, so we reversed out of the drive. We were so scared you were inside that we went in through the garage.”
“Why on earth did you do that?” Fear resonated through Alex’s voice.
“Because we thought you were inside!” Harriet’s voice came from beside him before she wrapped her arms around Alex and Daniella. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“I’m glad the two of you are okay,” Alex breathed a sigh of relief as a firefighter ran toward them, flapping his hands.
“Get back!” the man shouted. “Get back.”
Alex grabbed Daniella and Harriet’s arms and pulled them along with him behind the fire truck as an explosion erupted from within the house, sending shards of debris in all directions. Sirens blared from down the road as two more fire trucks arrived. The police started making spectators turn and leave as they closed the road.
“Get the owners to safety,” the fire captain barked at the policeman.
Alex, Daniella, and Harriet were taken to an emergency vehicle that had arrived at alarming speed from the next town.
“I’m so sorry about your house,” Daniella whispered.
A few minutes later, Daniella sat cuddled to his side with Alex’s arm around her shoulders in the back of an ambulance as they watched the firefighters fight the blaze that was once Alex’s home—a home he was hoping Daniella and Emily would share with him if he was lucky enough.
Harriet sat on Alex’s other side with her arm through his and her head on his shoulder.
“This is all my fault,” Daniella sucked in a shaky breath. “I should never have dragged you into this.”
“This is not your fault,“ Harriet said with vehemence.
“No, it is not!” Alex agreed with Harriet. “This is the work of a sick, tormented soul who needs to be able to control everyone and everything in their path.”
“Maybe we should call this off,” Daniella’s eyes were filled with fear, panic, and sorrow. “I don’t know what I’ll do if you or anyone else gets hurt because of me.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Alex promised.
“Neither am I,” Harriet stated, taking Daniella’s hand. “This lunatic has to be stopped.”
“Besides, it’s just a house,” Alex was surprised to realize he meant those words.
While he was devastated that his beautiful house was being eaten by fire, Alex was relieved that Daniella and Harriet were okay. Although he wanted to make a home with Daniella and Emily, he knew that it could be anywhere. As long as they were there, it would be home.
Alex smiled at Daniella, who had her arms wrapped tightly around him, which he didn’t mind at all. But as he looked at her, he noticed the scratches on her face.
“You’re bleeding,” Alex sucked in his breath as he gently ran a finger over Daniella’s face.
“Oh!” Daniella said. “That’s not from the fire. I was attacked by a bird.”
“What?” Alex asked, alarmed.
“Caroline’s parrot,” Harriet told him what happened.
“Alex?” as if on cue, Finn Shaw walked toward them. “Are you okay?” He glanced toward the house. “What happened?”
“When Daniella and Harriet got home, the house was ablaze,” Alex explained. “We don’t know what caused it yet.”
“Oh, man,” Finn whistled. “I’m so sorry.” He looked at Alex. “If there’s anything I can do.”
“Hey, Finn,” one of the firefighters called him. “We can use your help.”
“Sure thing,” Finn called back. “Sorry, I’ve got to go get suited up.”
“You’re a firefighter?” Harriet spluttered.
“A volunteer one,” Finn told her with a tight smile. “Hang in there. I’m glad you’re all alright.”
He turned and walked off.
“He’s a firefighter!” Harriet sighed as she watched him walk away.
“We got that,” Alex grinned. “I see your crush hasn’t died.”
“What?” Harriet frowned. “He’s …” She swallowed, looking uncomfortable. “I… Uh.”
“You’ve had a giant crush on the Finnster since you were sixteen,” Alex laughed. At least there was still a bit of normalcy on this very strange day.
“Doctor Thornton,” one of the firefighters ran up to the ambulance, “we need your help. The lieutenant is injured.”
Daniella straightened, and within a few seconds, she went from Daniella to Doctor Thornton. Alex’s heart swelled with pride as he watched her mask fall into place. She started asking questions and barking orders at the EMT, who jumped into action without question.
She looked down at her stained wedding dress, “Does anyone have a pair of pants for me?”
One of the EMTs pulled out a pair of scrubs for her, and while they gathered the equipment, Daniella disappeared into the back of the other ambulance. Within minutes, she burst through the doors in the blue scrubs, pulling her long golden locks into a neat bun off her face.
“Sorry, Doctor Thornton, but you’ll need to put these on,” the firefighter said, handing her a pair of fireproof boots.
Daniella nodded, pulled her pumps off without blinking, and slipped into the boots. Never had anyone looked so beautiful in such a weird ensemble as his wife did. Alex watched in awe as the tiny golden-haired doctor, who had a fire helmet popped on her head as she rushed to the scene, took command of everyone around her.
“She’s magnificent.” Alex sighed and knew he’d do whatever it took to win her heart. He turned to Harriet. “Please, Harry, you have to help win Daniella’s heart. I’ll do whatever it takes and give you whatever you want—my boat, my house, my car.”
“The superyacht and the Ferrari?” Harriet’s eyes widened as she teased him. She smiled at him. “I’ll help, but none of the above. I’ll do it because I know in my heart how much you love Daniella.”
Alex’s eyes searched Harriet’s to make sure she wasn’t being sarcastic. “And us?” His voice dropped. “Harry, are we friends again?”
“We never stopped being friends, Alex.” Harriet’s voice dropped. “We just needed time apart to adjust to who we were becoming and learn how to be friends with the newer versions of ourselves.”
“You know I’ll always love you, Harry,” Alex told her, feeling a lump wedge in his throat. “While it galls me to admit it, you were right all those years ago. We were young, foolish, and doing what we always did, thumbing our noses to authority.”
“You should’ve known back then that I’m always right,“ Harriet grinned.
“While we’re rebuilding our friendship, there are a few things I need to tell you,” Alex said. “I wasn’t having an affair with Sally Hern. All I did was help her with Chemistry. But it was easier for me to let you think that. When I got meningitis, and you started pulling away when I went completely deaf for three months…” He closed his eyes. “I pushed you away. I was deliberately awful to you to push you away. I didn’t want you to have to deal with me not being able to hear. And I didn’t think I could be near you and not hear your beautiful voice.”
“Alex, I…” Harriet’s voice trailed off as Alex held up his hand to stop her.
“Please let me finish, or I fear I won’t be able to,” Alex told her. “Just after I recovered from meningitis, I got mumps. You were away with your family, and I wouldn’t let my parents tell you. On both sides and after I recovered, I was told it had affected my ability to have kids.” He swallowed and rubbed his eyes to hide the tears stinging at the back of his eyes. “It was bad enough that I may never have been able to hear again. I didn’t want to be the reason you never had kids, too.”
“Oh, Alex.” Harriet’s eyes sparkled with unshed tears.
“I know I like to blame you for everything that happened between us,” Alex drew in a breath. “But in truth, I wasn’t at all surprised when you came back from your trip to Europe engaged to a prince.” He took her hand in his. “I’m so sorry for all the terrible accusations and things I said to you back then. I never meant them. I was hurting and foolish and feeling sorry for myself. I’ll always love you, Harry. You are my special person.”
Tears streaked down Harriet’s cheeks, and she swiped them away. “Alex, you had every right to blame me for what happened. I’m the one that gave you meningitis.”
Alex pursed his lips and gave her a small smile. “I know.” He nodded. “The nurse at college warned me to stay away from you, but I couldn’t leave you all alone, so I snuck in to sit with you. You were delirious and kept telling me how scared you were. You didn’t want to die without bathing in a tub of champagne.”
“I said that?” Harriet’s eyes widened, and Alex nodded. “You knew all this time that you got meningitis from me, yet you never said anything?”
“Why would I?” Alex looked at her and moved a stray lock from her face. “You went to great lengths to hide the fact from everyone. I figured you didn’t want anyone to know.”
“Because I’d lied about being vaccinated,” Harriet confessed. When the college had us get vaccinated because of an outbreak, I…” Her eyes darkened with emotion, and she looked away from him. “I couldn’t get vaccinated.”
“Harry, I know how afraid you are about needles.” Alex gently squeezed her hand. “You never have to explain yourself.”
“Alex!” Harriet’s voice was rough with emotion. “I ruined your life.” She sucked in a shaky breath as the tears fell freely. “Because of me, you lost your hearing, and your immune system was so compromised you got mumps.”
“Wait!” Alex frowned. “You knew about that.”
Harriet nodded. “It just made me feel even more guilty about…” She closed her eyes and drew in a breath. “I know I broke your heart,” she swallowed. “But I broke my heart, too.”
“Harry…” Alex looked at her, confused. “What are you saying?”
“I was so giddy with finally being free of my family commitments,” Harriet told him. “I’d escaped with my best friend and my first love.” She gave him a watery smile. “We went on the adventure to Vegas and woke up back in Boston at college as a couple.”
“We were young and had gone against our parent’s wishes,” Alex remembered. “We even made plans for how we would earn a living if they cut us off.”
“We moved into that apartment near Harvard,” Harriet reminded him. “For the first week, it was heaven, but then we started to fight. By the third week, I realized that we worked better as best friends, but I didn’t know how we’d ever go back.”
“I felt you pulling away, and it terrified me. I realized that I was losing you,” Alex confessed. “Instead of talking about it, I started becoming a super jerk, Alex.”
“Super jerk Alex that I made,” Harriet admitted. “I was like Frankenstein creating a monster and the…” She closed her eyes and blew out a breath. “Alex, I didn’t get vaccinated because I was pregnant.”
“What?” Alex spluttered, his heart lurched, and he stared at her.
“Before I could tell you, I got sick and…” Harriet closed her eyes as she struggled to control her emotions. “I lost the baby. Our baby.” Her face crumpled, and Alex pulled her to him. “Then I nearly lost you, too, when I gave you meningitis. But I thought I’d given it to you before they managed to isolate me.” She swiped her tears away. “I didn’t know you’d found me.”
“I’m so sorry you went through that alone,” Alex’s voice became hoarse, and he ignored the tears rolling down his cheeks. “I’m so, so sorry, Harry.”
“There were complications when I lost the baby,” Harriet sniffed. “And I was also given the verdict that I couldn’t have kids. When I went to visit my uncle, I needed to get as far away as possible. As I not only broke your heart, I ruined your life and lost our baby.”
“You should’ve told me,” Alex swiped the tears from his cheeks.
“You were already going through so much,” Harriet told him. “That day I came to get the divorce papers signed… I couldn’t believe how much you’d changed.” She sniffed. “The shock at no longer knowing who you were. I knew I’d lost my best friend for good, and my first love dissolved when you signed the papers.”
“You two were married?” Daniella’s voice tore them apart as they jumped guiltily.