Share
159|The Worst Kind Of Cancer
Related chapters
Beautiful Disaster 160|Trouble—Part 1
The outing to the SPCA was going so well that Marybeth almost forgot about the written warning she'd signed just before she and Scarlett left work for the day.Orlando was in her element, fussing over the puppies. When she wasn't playing mother hen, she was chirping away with the volunteer workers, asking them all kinds of questions.Scarlett, too, was a mushy mess, and once or twice she even hinted at Marybeth that she should seriously consider making a baby with Austin, explaining she was broody and would love nothing more than to hold a tiny bundle of joy in her arms."Well, you are holding one, aren't you?" Marybeth pointed at the pavement special in her friend's arms."It's not the same thing!" argued Scarlett as she set the puppy down, and they moved on to the next aisle on their itinerary."Why don't you have a baby then?" suggested Marybeth as she glanced at a sickly-looking mama cat hovering protectively around her litter in one of the numerous cages stacked on top of each oth
Beautiful Disaster 161|Trouble—Part 2
"How do we get in?" Marybeth mumbled to herself when she noticed there was no intercom."Daddy keeps the gate remote in his drawer," said Orlando as she wedged herself in the small space between the two front seats."Drawer?" Scarlett asked, her eyebrows fusing together in confusion."She means the glove compartment," replied Marybeth as she pulled it open and fiddled around."Yes, the glove compartment! That's what I wanted to say!" Orlando chimed in. "Press the green button, Marybeth, and the gate should open."Marybeth followed the instructions to the tee, and a moment later, the gate slid open, barely making a sound despite its humongous size.They drove up a long winding driveway and stopped near the colossal fountain facing the front door. When Orlando removed her seatbelt and tried to jump out of the car, Marybeth nicely asked her to stay put. She didn't know the situation inside the house, and the last thing she needed was to lead her into a minefield."But I want to see Gramps
Beautiful Disaster 162|Old Dog New Tricks
Leaving the Hawthorne family home without telling Lukas exactly what she thought of him would be a deep miscarriage of justice, in Marybeth's humble opinion. So she hit the brakes, bringing the car to a halt, much to the surprise of Arno and Benji following behind them."What's going on? Why did we stop?" Austin asked, addressing her for the first time since they left the house."I have to take care of something," Marybeth replied as she removed her seatbelt."Beth!" he gritted his teeth as she pushed her door open. "Where are you going?""I'll be back in a bit," she told him before jumping out of the car, well aware that she didn't exactly answer his question. In her defence, though, he would have likely tried to stop her from returning inside if he knew she planned to have another royal rumble with his father. Like earlier, Marybeth let herself in, hardly paying any attention to the housekeeping staff side-eyeing her as she made her way down the now-familiar hallway.She found Luka
Beautiful Disaster 163|Her Whole World
Marybeth drove a kilometre or so before pulling up on the roadside when she noticed Austin's hands trembling violently on his lap. She killed the engine and turned her entire body to look at him, taking both his hands in hers."What happened back there," she began as she gently kneaded his hands to soothe him. "Should never happen to anyone. And I'm sorry it happened to you, of all people. I know how much the family means to you—""I'm okay," Austin cut in, but Marybeth quickly hushed him up as she held his face in her hands, gazing into his eyes, "you are not okay. And no one can fault you for it. But whatever your feelings are about Iris and the stuff with your father, I need you to put a firm lid on them because there's a little girl who loves you with her heart and soul, waiting for you at home. Can you do that? Can you do that for me, please?""I'm sorry, I don't know if I can," Austin said, pulling away from her, adding as he stared off into the distance, "how do I look at Orly w
Beautiful Disaster 164|This Justice Of Yours
Orlando fussed over Austin as soon as they walked through the front door, demanding to know who'd messed up his face."Were you in a fight, Daddy? Did they punch you? Did you punch them back? I hope you kicked them and put them in a headlock like this—"She stopped talking long enough to show them exactly what she meant as she twisted her arms and got into a headlock position.Marybeth didn't know if she should be delighted or horrified at Orlando's enthusiasm and propensity for violence.Despite hurting all over, Austin was clearly proud of his teachings. He couldn't stop grinning, and Marybeth was glad to see him smile again."Of course, I did, Squeak! Just like I taught you! You should see their faces!" he said as he crouched down to give her a hug."It was more than one guy?" Orlando asked, her voice light with wonder.Austin nodded, "yep, about six guys.""Yes! Good job, Daddy!" Orlando cheered again. "That's how we handle bullies!""Always," Austin agreed, kissing her forehead. M
Beautiful Disaster 165|Keeper Of My Heart
As soon as Orlando conked out while they read Beauty and the Beast for the millionth time, Austin headed to his study and jumped on the phone.He was exhausted and emotionally spent, but too many pots were burning, and they all needed his attention.The first order of business for the night was a call to Blake.As brief as their chat was, Austin couldn't help but wish he could jump into the phone and strangle him. There really was a fine line between love and hate, and he couldn't believe how quickly it could blur. But furious as he was, Austin was glad Blake was out of town when he confronted their father. He was way too emotional earlier, and if he wanted to destroy his brother, Austin knew he needed a cooler head and enough time to work on his plan."Why are you pulling me off Nadia?" Blake demanded on his end, interrupting Austin's thoughts of revenge. "I thought we agreed—""I'll handle it!" Austin cut in, praying he didn't sound as enraged as he felt. "Your fiancée is pregnant. Y
Beautiful Disaster 166|His Light
Austin was up at the crack of dawn. Not that he'd slept. How could he when he couldn't get his mind to shut down and stop reliving the horrific day he'd had?At some point between coming to bed and Marybeth falling asleep in his arms, a plan had slowly begun to form itself. And it was that plan, more than his strained relationship with his father, that had kept him awake. It wasn't anything solid. But it was still a plan, and vague as it was, he had to get cracking on it. So as soon as the birds began to chirp outside sometime after 4:00 AM, he jumped out of bed, took a leisurely shower, and headed to his study to make a few calls. Seth was first on his to-do list, and he didn't sound too excited to hear from him when he eventually picked up after Austin's fourth attempt. "Mr Hawthorne, do you know what time it is?" Seth grumbled. "Someone had better be missing, or your money was stolen. Those are the only acceptable excuses for calling me like this at the crack of dawn!""But it's 4
Beautiful Disaster 167|Music To His Ears
Austin's rage hit him like a ton of bricks when he stepped into the living room, and his eyes fell on all the numerous photographs of Iris covering every corner and crevice. He didn't mind when Orlando brought them back last week, figuring she missed her mom. But now…knowing everything he knew, he couldn't stand seeing Iris' face, and he was so terrified that if he continued to stand there like his feet were stuck in a block of concrete, he'd trash his living room. So he forced himself to move along and get Orlando's pancakes ready. Austin knew how to cook, but it wasn't something he enjoyed. Today, though, he was grateful for the distraction. It kept his mind from wandering into dangerous territory. The first batch of pancakes was done forty-five minutes later when Orlando bounded into the room, dressed in her school uniform and her hair tied in lopsided pigtails."Where's Marybeth?" she asked as she jumped onto the barstool and watched him pour a thin stream of batter into the non
Latest chapter
Beautiful Disaster 300|Beautiful Disaster
Beautiful Disaster 299|Loved And Wanted
Beautiful Disaster 298|A Fresh Start
Beautiful Disaster 297|Family
Beautiful Disaster 296|Bargaining Chip
Beautiful Disaster 295|The Folly Of Youth
Beautiful Disaster 294|Special Kind Of A Hate
Beautiful Disaster 293|Long Arm Of The Law
Beautiful Disaster 292|A Rare Gift
