Oh no. What would you do if you were Celine? What would you do if you were Sebastian? Let me know.
The three girls held their breath while the video call rang and rang. “It’s really late.”, Collette said.It was late. Most adults, if they were up at this hour, were frantically wrapping gifts or putting complicated toys together in time for their kids to wake them up in a few hours and open presents. Celine was just about to give up when Sebastian’s face appeared on the screen.“Hold on.”, he said. Celine could hear music and talking, and she got a nice view of the ceiling as Sebastian walked out of the room. He closed a door and sat down and had a big smile for Celine and she almost didn’t have the heart to say anything to him. How could this man be fooling around on her?“Hey, baby. You miss me already?”, Sebastian asked. His words were a little sloppy and Celine realized he had been drinking too. At least they were on a level playing field, she thought.“How is the party?”, Celine was going to give him a chance to tell her himself.Sebastian put his face close to the phone and whi
Celine finished her tirade and waited. Sebastian rubbed his temples but said nothing. Celine twisted her hair around her finger with a vengeance. Sebastian sighed heavily. Celine’s foot began tapping and she was just about to suggest they end the call when Sebastian closed his eyes and took another deep breath.He spoke with a voice as flat as a disconnected heart monitor. “Nothing happened last night other than I was ambushed and set up, and I have been non-stop fighting with my family.”, he said. “And now there is this article.”He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “I texted you as soon as I woke up Celine. You were the first person on my mind. I told you; I am taking our second chance very seriously.” He opened his eyes and the brilliant gray that changed with his mood was washed out, almost imperceptible. “I’m sorry baby, my family is exhausting. I should have never come here.”A burst of compassion diluted her fears, and even though what she said were her true feelings, s
Kissing Sebastian was delectable, and Celine was addicted. Ever since he arrived, she had been thinking about how to get him alone. And if it were not for her father, she would have dragged Sebastian to her bedroom like a cavewoman and had her way with him.WOW, where was that coming from?“Celine.”, he murmured into her mouth. “You taste incredible.” He slowly delved into her mouth stroking and sucking until she was incoherently moaning. He pulled her tighter, crushing her breasts against him and she could feel his arousal against her abdomen. “I want you.”, he groaned. “I need you.”, he said and bit her lip fueling her passion.“Sorry to interrupt, but…”, Collette said. Shit. Celine pushed away from Sebastian her face flaming. What if that had been her dad?Sebastian turned his back to Collette for obvious reasons, and Celine began wringing her hands. “I’m sorry. We…um…”“Did Dad leave?”, Collette asked, and Celine remembered Dad’s message.“He left without you. He told me to tell yo
Another hospital, another waiting room. They were all the same, weren’t they? A room for shocked and desperate families to sit for hours upon hours all drinking from the same cup of dread, with a splash of hope to sweeten the bitter brew of mortality.Dad went into surgery within the hour of his arrival. All thanks to Sebastian who called in some favors and got an excellent surgeon, to leave his New Year celebrations and save her father’s life. And if that were not enough, he was at Celine and Collette’s beck and call making sure they had a never-ending source of caffeine to drink and vending machine snacks at their disposal.Around ten at night Rachel, Linda, Jacob, and John showed up, and after answering lots of questions they joined the sisters in their vigil. The new year began without anyone noticing, and a couple of hours later Kim showed up, a little worse for wear, with Phillip.When Phillip darkened the doorway of the waiting room, Sebastian stiffened, Collette gasped, Celine
The next morning, a middle-aged man appeared in the doorway wearing scrubs. “May I speak to the Beaumont family?” A sharp pain stabbed Celine’s stomach and within seconds, the man was swarmed with Celine and Collette at the center.Tugging at her braid, Celine squinted to read the man’s face trying to see any sign of the outcome. Was her father dead? Was he alright? Why wasn’t he saying anything? “Which one of you is family?”, the surgeon asked.“We are. We are his daughters.”, Collette said and pointed to herself and then Celine.The surgeon glanced around the group, then spoke. “I am Dr. Morgenstern, your father’s surgeon. He made it through the surgery.” There was an outburst of noise, and Celine sent out a silent, Thank you. “Your father was severely injured. The most concerning injuries were to his heart and his lungs.”, the surgeon said.Whatever relief she felt left her body, leaving her feeling heavy with dread. She clutched her sister’s hand and felt Sebastian step in closer.
Unbeknownst to Celine, Beaumont Equestrian Center had a dedicated attorney of sorts. It all started when her mom took on a troubled teenager whose mother, Carly, happened to be a freshly minted lawyer. Daniela Beaumont saved Carly’s son from a life of drugs and crime. Through her intervention, she allowed him to change his destiny and he grabbed onto that chance with all of his heart.In exchange, Carly stepped in whenever Mom needed legal help. It happened so infrequently that Celine was not aware of the friendship or the arrangement. Celine was halfway between home and New York City when she got a call from Smith, Carson & Associates Legal Firm.“Hello, Celine? This is Carly. Carly Smith. I was a friend of your mom’s”After introductions and getting caught up Carly told Celine that an attorney contacted her on behalf of her client who was interested in purchasing the equestrian center.“But it’s not for sale.”, Celine said and reached for her hair. Collette slapped her hand. Celine r
Celine jabbed her sister and stood. “Hello Dr. Gururaj, I am Celine Beaumont and this is my sister Collette Beaumont.”“Why don’t you follow me to my office so we can talk.”, Dr. Gururaj said. He gestured toward the door he came out of, and the sisters followed.Collette was still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “Is this the surgeon?”, she asked keeping her voice pitched for Celine’s ears.“Yes.”, Celine murmured back.Dr. Gururaj’s office was excessively clean. The only thing on his desk was a monitor. The only things hanging on his walls were diplomas and awards. In front of his desk were two chairs and he motioned for them to sit. While he was getting himself settled across the desk from them, Celine took the opportunity to check him out.Like his office, he was meticulously groomed. He had short hair, no facial hair, and his hands were long, tapered, and manicured. Celine looked down and folded her hands in her lap. She worked with horses and her hobby was woodworking, her hands
Celine tiptoed to her father’s bedside and kissed his forehead. “I love you, Daddy.”, she said in a whisper. “Please forgive me.”Collette was waiting for her in the hall. She took Celine’s hand. “We are not selling we are just seeing. This is the smart thing to do.”, Collette said. Celine nodded and the sisters hugged.“Text me if you hear anything about the surgery, okay?”, Celine asked then she let go of her sister and walked to her car.The lawyer’s office was a thirty-minute drive, so she called Sebastian.“Hey Kitty Cat.”, Sebastian answered. Celine smiled. She didn’t know how he did it, but just hearing his voice calmed her down.“Hey yourself Big Bad Wolf.” Her smile widened.“Big bad wolf? I think I like that one.”, Sebastian said. They were still trying out nicknames. “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down.” Celine giggled.Every day she was more certain, about her feelings for him. Which made the thought of losing him a constant ache in her throat.“Are you i
As soon as Celine saw the two gorgeous men stepping out of the elevator, she realized what Kim was up to and had to fight the urge to turn and run. She wanted no part of Kim’s revenge hookup because that was what this was. Kim was implementing the classic strategy of what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.However, Celine would be lying if she said she wasn’t tempted to see Sebastian and Matteo’s faces when they saw the two drop-dead hotties that had just walked into Sebastian’s penthouse. Maybe there was some merit to Kim’s plan…No, nope, just no. A nice bath and a text message update on the paternity test were what she needed, not a demonstration of large predator mating competitions.Unfortunately, it was too late to run because they were here, and Kim was exchanging cheek kisses. “Hello. Coucou, comment tu vas ?” One of Kim’s hidden talents was that she spoke fluent French, and always had her pick of French hotties. Kim was going nuclear, poor Matteo.One of the men had
They say, “Money can’t buy you love.” but it does buy same-day results of a paternity test, especially if you have a phlebotomist waiting in the hall outside the courtroom to draw blood and a medical courier at the ready to transport your samples directly to a reputable private lab. A lab that was being paid to expedite the paternity test as soon as the biological samples were received.And that was precisely what happened minutes after Grace said, “I’ll take the deal.”Sophia yelled, “What deal.” The Judge beamed at Grace. The bailiff gallantly helped Grace down from the stand, and Jameson looked like a genie had just told him, ‘Of course, you can wish four more wishes.’It was complete chaos as they followed Grace and Sebastian out of the courtroom, and Celine couldn’t believe their plan had worked. But she saw it with her own eyes, and there was no doubt about it. Grace was submitting to a blood draw right there in the hall, behind a portable privacy screen.The next thing Celine kn
After Sebastian’s lawyers finished, Celine thought all there was left to do was watch the death throes of Grace’s case. They had a recording of Grace threatening blackmail, for god’s sake. They should be watching the closing credits on this fiasco of fake paternity, but that was not how the law worked. There were always special circumstances or loopholes to get around or to delay a decision, and all Grace needed was a delay.When Grace’s attorneys began their case to quash the court order for the paternity test, they didn’t even bother to rebut the horrible things she said on the recording. Instead, they argued that Grace had a religious or moral objection to the paternity test.Grace’s attorney painted a picture of her as a devout Orthodox Christian from a family with a long, illustrious history with the Greek Orthodox Church on her mother’s side. In Orthodox culture, there is a lot of emphasis on family reputation and privacy, especially for families with ties to the church and thei
It is not often that family court law protects the rights of a father, or in Sebastian’s case, the alleged father, except when it comes to paternity. No mother has the right to obstruct a paternity test. It becomes fuzzy if the paternity test is requested during pregnancy. Then the mother can say no—her body, her choice. At least, that was what Grace and Sophia believed. It turned out that Sebastian could request a court order to compel Grace to have a Non-Invasive Paternity Test if he was disputing paternity and Grace was publicly claiming he was the father, thus ruining Sebastian’s reputation and pressuring him into fatherhood.Apparently, Grace and Sophia’s ploy was so unoriginal that laws were already in place to prevent them.After Grace dropped her fake pregnancy bomb at the ice skating rink, Sebastian’s lawyers went to Family Court the next day and got a court date to ask a judge for a court order to force Grace to take a paternity test. Grace was notified of the court date i
It took Celine a great deal of self-control not to pace the length of the hotel lobby. Of all days to be late, she thought as she squirmed in an uncomfortable but aesthetically appealing, overpriced, modern accent chair and reread the same page in her digital book.Today, Sebastian was taking Grace to an OB-GYN of his choosing to get some answers. The first thing he wanted to know was if she was pregnant. If yes, he would ask Grace for the second time to take a Non-Invasive Prenatal Paternity test to prove he wasn’t the father. So far, when he asked her to provide a blood sample for the test, Grace had refused, stating Sebastian’s accusations were baseless and she would not be humiliated.They fully expected Grace to refuse a second time, and if she did, they were prepared.Celine’s phone vibrated.SebastianHereCeline hurried outside, and Sebastian’s driver, Greg, waited to open the car door for her. “Good morning, Greg.” Celine said, trying to smile through her nerves. How is the n
“Excuse me, what?”, Celine asked. Her heart was hammering, actually hammering so hard that she felt a twinge in her calf and then a burst of warmth. Did she tear a stitch? But she couldn’t be bothered to look because she needed to make sure she had heard correctly because surely, she had not.Looking at Sebastian did nothing to help her stay calm. He looked so woeful. She had seen that look before. When she was in the hospital after the fire, he had come to visit her. That was the day she realized that no matter what she said or how she was willing to fight, he was going to marry Grace anyway. The day she asked if he had slept with Grace. He never did answer her, but she guessed from his dark face and how he wouldn’t look at her that he probably had. She didn’t want to relive that horrible day.“She said she was pregnant.”, Sebastian breathed out.The room went still, and she heard a ringing in her ears. The warm spot on her calf grew. She absent-mindedly touched her calf to see if it
With a chair, rolled-up towels, and choreography worthy of a Cirque De Sole act, Celine lowered herself into the bubble bath while keeping one leg dry. The doctor had been adamant that she could not get her stitches wet and had prescribed sponge baths. To hell with that. Nothing was going to stop her from getting a bath. So, what if having one leg out of the tub was awkward and uncomfortable, and she had no idea how she was getting out?She groaned in pleasure. She needed this. She could feel her aches and pains melting away, and the cold that had settled in her bones was gone. All that remained was a luxurious cocoon of heat and well-being.Except there was this niggly wiggly annoying memory of how she had acted like a whiny little jealous bitch, got stabbed in the calf by someone’s ice skate, stormed off bleeding everywhere, and then having to depend on Jameson, of all people, to help her.Shit, Celine, get it together. Where was the phoenix that rose from the ashes? Where was the w
She only fell twice when she skated the rink's perimeter to the secluded spot where Sebastian sat with Grace. By the time she got there, she was so exhausted that she could hardly summon a spark, much less the fire of indignation and anger that had fueled her impulse to give Sebastian a piece of her mind. If she hadn’t needed to skate back the way she had just come, she would have given up right then and there and gone home to have a nice bubble bath.She was here now. What was she going to do? She couldn’t cling to this wall forever. Why hadn’t she just sent him a text like a normal person? She looked over to where Sebastian and Grace were sitting. Sebastian’s back was to her, but she could see Grace, and her eyes were red and swollen. It looked like she had been crying.Sebastian was a sucker for tears. He had probably held her hand or hugged her. He never could stand to see a woman cry. She wanted to punch him in his stupid nose.Suddenly, she realized she could hear them talking.
It was official. She was an idiot. How many times was she going to fall for his fake sentiment? He really had her believing that he loved her the night he saved her from being abducted. What had he said? “We’re calling this off. It’s not worth it. We’ll run away. I’ll leave it all.” Hadn’t he begged her to believe him when he said that he would never let anyone hurt her again?But what did he do? The first time he had to choose between her or Grace, he chose Grace and left her alone to face the woman who had literally burned her life to the ground.The girl spoke, “Are you okay?” Snapping out of her reverie, Celine noticed the girl had taken her to a quiet window seat. She smiled, grateful to her unexpected savior, who flopped into one of the chairs and sighed noisily.“I’m okay.”, Celine said. She sat in the chair next to her and watched the pretty girl stare at the ice skaters with a mix of malice and envy as if they had stolen her lollipop and then kicked her puppy.Sparing Celine