Chapter 18 A Mother’s Work #2
In an instant, the considerable weight he’d been carrying for the last month was lifted from his shoulders.
He stood and walked to the enormous window overlooking the garden below.
He was going to take control and bring his girl back home to Hamby, where she belonged.
Taking the ring out of his pocket, he looked down at the stone and imagined her hand in his.
“I’m coming for you, baby,” he said and put the ring back in his pocket.
AS KAYDEN JOGGED back down the stairs, Maureen held her breath, not sure of what to expect from him.
Kim looked up at him, then Maureen. She straightened her posture in her chair, trying to match her idol’s stature.
Kayden sat down, picked up his glass of wine, and stared into the fireplace.
It took the will of God for him not to go ballistic in their presence.
“So dear, what was it you wanted to say earlier? What did Taylor want? Is everything OK with the contracts?” she asked.
“Everything is just fine, mother,” he forced out, “Last-minute details are all.”
Maureen studied him as she could always tell when her son was lying.
She couldn’t tell if that was the case right now, and it bothered her.
After all, she hadn’t given him much reason to be honest with her lately.
He sat so confidently in his chair, and his body language looked like that of a man in complete control.
He definitely had changed a lot more than she even realized until this moment.
Kayden’s temper was very short nowadays, so she decided to proceed with caution.
“What about? If you don’t mind me asking,” she replied sheepishly.
“They just wanted to know if it would be OK to send someone from the firm for the grand opening. Of course, I told them yes,” he lied, a smile as phony as Maureen’s on his face.
“Oh yeah,” Kim interrupted, “The more the merrier. I mean, without their work for KDN and Capshaw Realty, there would be no grand opening,” she said while reaching over to touch his hand.
He removed it and picked up his drink, then stood from the table. He turned and walked outside on the back porch, closing the door behind him. Kim looked at Maureen and breathed a deep sigh.
“He hates me,” Kim said after the door was closed.
“He’ll learn to love you again. Just don’t push it. Don’t be so desperate. Let him come to you.”
Maureen got up from the table and walked outside on the porch, leaving Kim at the dining room table. I’m not desperate, she thought to herself, her face furrowing in aggravation. She was pretty and knew it. She could have any guy she wanted—almost any guy that is.
Kim looked outside and watched Maureen stand next to Kayden, as if they were in a members-only club she wasn’t invited to.
She knew she couldn’t walk out there and join them.
It would just piss him off even more. Standing from the table, she walked over to the fireplace and stared into the flames.
I’ve worked my ass off to earn my place in this family, she thought to herself.
Having no parents of her own and very little family, she felt closer to the Capshaws than anyone else in her life.
Being used as a pawn in Maureen’s scheme only benefited her if the plan worked.
She threw the wine glass into the fireplace and stomped off to her room.
One way or another, she’ll make him realize why he needed her.
She had no other options; this was it for her.
It was do-or-die time. Kim stalked into “her room” and flopped down on the bed.
She opened her laptop and clicked on a file on the desktop named “Kayden”.
In it were all the police reports of Kayden’s DUIs, the judges that were in Maureen’s pocket, and the email trail she stole from Maureen’s personal accounts.
She hoped it didn’t have to come to this, but if there was one thing she learned from Maureen, it was to take no prisoners.
OUTSIDE ON THE porch, Maureen wrapped her scarf around her shoulders and leaned her head onto her son’s shoulder as they stood looking over the town below. He wanted to remove it instantly, but resisted the urge.
“What’s going on up there in that head, son?” She asked quietly.
“Just excited for tomorrow, and Aunt Mae is anxious to get back to work. The town's fire alarms have been going off nonstop since the kitchens have been closed,” he both joked and lied.
As calm and collected as he was on the outside, he was raging inside.
He wanted to confront her and ask her why she’d interfere with the PIs he hired, but knew he’d only be met with more lies or worse, the truth: because she wants complete control and that she can.
He’d play her game until she was out of town for good, and he’d be free to do what was necessary.
“Hattie-Mae Smith’s cooking has surely been missed.” Maureen finally said.
A few moments of quiet passed between them, and Maureen turned her head to him.
“Have you given any more thought to getting a ring for Kimberly?”
She knew this was a sore subject, but needed to keep him talking in the event he revealed more than he was letting on.
“No, mother, I did not, and I do not plan to buy one.”
“Kayden, how will it look to others if your wife doesn’t have an engagement ring or a wedding band?” She asked, seriously surprised at his answer.
“Frankly, I don’t care how it looks,” he replied, with a calm and even tone. “This is a marriage I’m being forced into. This is your requirement. I don’t love nor like her, but because it’s the only way I can move on with my life, I’m doing it.”
He lied to her face without a flinch. He was getting better at this than he thought.
“So, it’s OK, I’ll jump through the hoops. I’ll marry her, but only because I don’t want to see the company my father built turned into a joke,” he said, and that part was the truth. “If she wants a ring, she can buy one herself.”
Maureen didn’t know what to say back to him. He was serious, and she doubted anything she would say would change his mind. This worried her now as she wasn’t sure if Kim would even be able to do what was needed of her. That Lana girl had totally changed her son’s DNA.
“But you loved her once, Kayden. Surely those feelings can’t all be gone,” she replied, grasping for hope.
It was all she could get out and not very convincing even to herself.
“Once upon a time, I did, and then she slept with my best friend while I was hospitalized and needed her. She doesn’t care about me, Mom. She never did.”
“She made one mistake. You can’t hold it against her forever.”
“That’s funny. I recall saying something similar to you a few years ago,” he replied and walked away from her into the grass.
That stung. She didn’t know what to say. Kayden took another sip of his drink, feeling rather liberated, then he turned to her, a slight grin on his face.
“Why do you like her so much is the real question.”
He honestly wanted to know. There wasn’t a whole lot to Kim other than physical looks, and it didn’t matter how pretty someone was if they were ugly inside.
“She may not have been there for you after the accident, but she was there for me when your father died.”
Kayden’s face softened as he remembered how much of a wreck his mother was during that awful time. He and Kim were very over at that point, but she did stay by Maureen’s side almost every day. They became good friends because of it, but it annoyed Kayden to have to see her all the time.
“I understand that, mother, I do. But it doesn’t make someone a good person or wife either. How is it fair to force me to marry her? Why her? Why someone who doesn’t care about anyone other than herself ?”
Maureen was at a loss for words again and couldn’t come up with a worthy rebuttal.
She thought about his words and knew he was right.
Kim wasn’t the best choice for her son on a love level.
It was the one thing that kept her marriage to Vincent, all those years, fresh and exciting —the true love they shared for one another.
As she searched her mind for words, she could find none and felt a slight pang of remorse.
Kayden shook his head and started walking towards the door, past her, where he disappeared inside.
She stood there on the porch and smiled as she recalled him saying that he understood why she liked Kim. Understanding was the first step to accepting, and sooner or later, he would learn to trust her again. She walked into the house, closing the doors behind her, with new hope for Kim in tow.
AFTER GRABBING HER purse, Maureen hugged Kayden as he walked her through the foyer and to the front door. Outside, he opened the car door for her as she climbed into her rental. As much as he loved his mother, he couldn’t wait until she was back on a plane heading for New York.
“Drive safe. Love you,” he said and closed the door.
He watched her back out of the driveway and head down the road all the way down the hill.
The car made its way to the roundabout and disappeared when she turned on Patterson.
He walked into the house and closed the door behind him.
He had no idea where Kim was, but as long as she was downstairs and nowhere near him, he'd be fine.
He went into the living room, snuffed the last of the embers in the fireplace, and turned the lights off, making the room almost pitch black.
The moonlight shone through the glass doors, reminding him of the night he and Lana stood on the porch, admiring the view.
When he turned around, Kim was standing behind him, completely naked, a sly grin on her face. He was instantly exhausted with her.
“I’m too tired for this shit,” he said as he tried walking past her. She hopped into his path, blocking him, and he dropped his head. Kayden grabbed the couch throw blanket and tossed it to her, but she let it hit the floor and slid it out of her path with her foot.
“This is something we both need,” she replied, and slowly walked towards him.
He was getting really pissed now.
“You can’t tell me you don’t miss this,” she said, as she ran her fingers down her stomach.
He grabbed her by the shoulders as she smiled.
“Kim. Please listen to me. This is never going to happen. Ever. Do you understand?”
He let her go and took the stairs two at a time, leaving her standing in the darkened room alone.
Mortified, she picked up the throw blanket and erupted in tears.
She couldn’t believe that just happened.
Dragging the blanket behind her, she walked to the guest room and closed the door behind her.
She fell onto the bed, covered in wedding magazines, and started ripping them to shreds.
Everything she wanted with him was falling apart.
How long would he stay married to her if he couldn't stand to look at her?
Maybe, she thought, it would be an open marriage.
People did that all the time. Strictly business, and she could get what she needed elsewhere.
With that thought, she calmed herself. But it still hurt. It hurt like hell.
KAYDEN LOCKED THE room door behind him with a decisive click, the sound resonating with finality.
The image of Kim, standing stark naked in his living room, her eyes glazed in desperation, burned behind his eyelids.
She was losing her mind, he was certain.
He unbuttoned his shirt, the silk cool against his skin, then shucked it off, letting it fall to the floor.
Her walking around naked meant nothing to him—it was hollow and empty just like her personality.
The old Kayden, the one who might have been tempted, or at least amused, by something like that, had exited stage left a long time ago, and only proved just how much she didn’t know him at all.
He peeled off his jeans, his movements slow, almost ritualistic, as if shedding the day's accumulated grime and emotional wreckage.
He always knew Kim was a little unstable, prone to dramatics.
Still, even that calculated stunt was out of character for her —a new, unsettling depth that made him wonder whether putting his foot down as firmly as he did was ill-timed.
Brushing the thought of her out of his mind, like an irritating fly, he let his boxers drop and stepped into the cool, dark sanctuary of his bathroom.
A quick shower to wash the day away, all while wondering what Lana was doing at the same time, remembering the last time he dragged her into that small space with him.
After, he emerged in warm pajamas and unburdened by the earlier encounter, before climbing into the vast expanse of the bed.
The sheets were cool and crisp as he lay on his back, his arm tucked beneath his head, staring up at the shadowy ceiling.
The silence of the room was deafening, but he knew it wouldn’t be long.
He knew that familiar, comforting warmth would soon bloom behind his closed eyelids.
Even though it would be a dream, he’d see Lana’s face again, the mischievous glint in her eyes, the gentle curve of her cheek.
And for the first time in a month of torturous, restless nights filled with anxious searches and bitter despair, Kayden felt the tension finally drain from his body and drifted off, and slept soundly.