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Chapter 34: The Day I Have To Say Goodbye
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2023-11-28 14:09:01Related chapters
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 35: One Date
Sometime later, Rafe pulls into the parking lot of a fancy-looking building right on the beach. My eyes skim right past the shiny sign - apparently this is the Silver Heron Club - to the view beyond."The Club owns this stretch of beach," Rafe says. "Only members have access to it, and we should have the beach to ourselves at this hour."I don't answer. I'm too busy grinning at the expanse of ocean in front of us. The sight of it still fills me with unbridled joy. And it looks absolutely glorious today under the morning sun - I see a million shades of blue and green, plus silver and gold where the light hits the water. Waves create an endless rippling pattern across the surface, stretching as far as I can see. I always imagined the ocean as a large, flat body of water, but in reality it's alive - alive and in constant motion, swelling and shivering, reflecting the sunlight back in a thousand ways, changing every minute.Isn't it marvelous, sweet one?"Edie?"His voice makes me jum
Last Updated : 2023-11-28The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 36: Picnic on the Beach
We walk back up to the picnic. He helps me sit down on the blanket, then takes the spot next to me. He flips the top of the basket open and begins pulling out the food inside.My mouth waters and my stomach growls as I catch sight of all the food - there are tons of pastries and muffins, a big bowl of fresh fruit, and shiny yogurt with golden granola. Underneath is an earthenware container clearly meant to keep things warm, and inside there's sausage and eggs and herb-dusted potatoes. I'm drooling.Before I dive head-first into the food, Rafe grabs a bottle from the side of the basket."There's coffee," he says, "but what do you say we start this off with something a little more fun? Bloody Mary or mimosa? Pick your poison."This time, I remember. "I, uh, probably shouldn't be drinking," I point out."Oh. Right." He has that odd look again for the briefest of seconds, then tosses the bottle of vodka aside. It rolls and settles in the sand. The bottle of champagne ends up next to i
Last Updated : 2023-11-28The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 37: In The Waves
The sketchy guy looks as shifty now as he did before. Maybe the way he keeps looking up and down the beach, or the way he fidgets as he walks, curling and uncurling his fingers and rolling his shoulders forward and back. He looks nervous.Didn't Rafe say this stretch of beach was for members only? He's not exactly dressed like someone who'd be a member of some fancy private beach club for celebrities - like last time, his clothes are worn and nondescript - but then again, I probably shouldn't judge a book by its cover.When I twist back around, Rafe is still staring at the man. And looking angrier by the second."Who is that?" I ask. "Do you know him?""I'll be right back." He starts off across the sand toward the boardwalk.That didn't answer my question. Part of me is tempted to run after him, but I know this is none of my business, whatever it is.The man stops at the end of the boardwalk, waiting for Rafe. I think he looks past Rafe at me, but he doesn't acknowledge me in any
Last Updated : 2023-11-28The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 38: The Hospital
I've never been in a hospital before.There's so much going on - beeping from the instruments around me. The squeaking of a gurney wheel on the linoleum floor. Many, many people walking and talking outside my room.I've been in doctor's offices, of course. And the clinic back home. But this is different. This place is big and terrifying, and everything is more intense than what I've experienced before. Not just the sounds - the lights are brighter, the antiseptic smell much stronger.I shouldn't even be here. I begged Rafe to take me somewhere smaller and cheaper - surely there has to be a free clinic somewhere in this city - because I don't have health insurance. But he wouldn't hear of it. He brought me right to the ER. I try not to think about it as I lean back on the flat little pillow they gave me. It's freezing in this place, but that's not why I'm shivering.Rafe is pacing beside my bed. He hasn't said more than two words to me since they brought me back to this room. I'm gr
Last Updated : 2023-11-28The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 39: Under The Flashing Lights
It's not until a little while later, when they've told me I'm being discharged and I'm changing back into my normal clothes behind a curtain, that I feel the need to say anything. Maybe because, for the moment anyway, I can't see his face. I can hear him pacing - he hasn't stopped fidgeting since the ultrasound.My clothes are stiff from the ocean. I pull my dress back down my body, exhaling. "What happens now?"On the other side of the curtain, the pacing stops. He's silent for so long that for a brief, terrifying moment, I'm afraid he's walked right out of the room without my noticing.Suddenly, the curtain is pushed aside. I'm fully dressed, but I still jump. Rafe looks me up and down once, his expression still blank, and I can't decide if he's waiting for me to speak."We go home," he says finally, and I remember that I asked him a question. "Now, we go home."Rafe slides his arm around my waist, placing his hand in the position it seems to like most, nestled against the small
Last Updated : 2023-11-28The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 40: Life At Rafe's
When I wake, I'm surrounded by the most exquisite smell.I roll over, still drowsy, wanting nothing more than to bury my nose in that comforting scent. My face is pressed against the softest pillows I've ever felt in my life, and when I inhale deeply, I recognize what smells so good and comforting.It smells like Rafe. The whole bed does. The cloud-like pillows, the silky sheets, all of it. It's like his scent is caught between all the tightly knit fibers.This is his bed, I realize with a start. Not a guest bed, like I was expecting. His actual bed, the one where he sleeps every night.I roll over again, wanting to sink into the smell of him, and my back brushes against something warm and solid. I stiffen.Now that I'm more fully awake, I hear it - the soft rise and fall of another person's breathing. I don't have to turn over to know who it is. Rafe is in bed with me, and by the sound of it, still asleep. When did he climb in next to me?I glance at the clock on the nightstand.
Last Updated : 2023-11-28The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 41: Paranoia Creeps In
"You want me to stay, don't you?" I whisper to the life inside me. "You need me to be strong."Decision made - at least for the time being - I climb to my feet again, then walk down the rest of the stairs.It's strange, being here by myself. I'm still amazed by the size of Rafe's house, and I wonder how he doesn't get lonely, having all this space to himself. Now that the immediate question of whether I'm staying or going has been answered, my curiosity begins to take over. This is my one chance to look around without Rafe here.Rafe's house is as spectacular as I remember from my brief visit here a few days ago. I wander from room to room, admiring the simple, streamlined décor. It's not as warm and inviting as Dante and Ashlyn's house, but there's something more rugged about it - dark leather furniture, tables and chairs made of heavy, knotty-grained wood, and even a large fireplace that looks like something out of a hunting lodge. Not sure why anyone would ever need a fireplace h
Last Updated : 2023-11-28The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 42: Pretending
"Edie?" Rafe calls.I hurry away from the back door. "I'm here!"After a quick glance around, I grab a glass from the cabinet and start to fill it up at the sink, pretending I only came in here for a drink, not to snoop around. If I hadn't gotten the creeps, I might still have been in Rafe's office when he came in. Guilt makes my stomach twist and turn, but I still have every intention of finding out what was in that book, one way or another.You could just ask him, I think. But after our conversation on the beach this morning, when he got upset at me simply for researching him, I have a feeling that won't end well. If anything, I'm afraid it will decrease my chances of learning the truth - if Rafe has something to hide from me, I suspect the book would disappear before I had the chance to look in it again.I hear him enter the room behind me, feel the familiar, pleasurable rush of sensation down my back. How is it that no matter how many questions or doubts I have about him, my bo
Last Updated : 2023-11-28
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The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 57: A Beautiful Melody
I learn a few things in the ride to the hospital: first, that we're somewhere in southern Idaho. Second, that Rafe was in Las Vegas when Matt contacted him to tell him he had me."Don't ask me about Vegas, please," Rafe begs me. "I haven't exactly been coping well since you left me. And for the love of God, don't read any of the tabloids that come out in the next week."And I'm okay with not knowing. This time.He stays with me at the hospital, holding my hand the entire time. Now that the immediate danger has passed and I've calmed down a little, I'm not as worried about the baby. I can't explain how I know, but I sense that he or she is still safe and sound inside me. Just perhaps a little stunned by the whole ordeal.You're okay, sweet one, aren't you?Rafe isn't nearly as confident. His grip on my hand is like iron, and he's gone at least two shades paler since we entered the hospital. Like the last time, he barks at both the doctors and the nurses, demanding to know why we ar
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 56: Never Letting Go Of You Again
Rafe presses his mouth against my hair. My temple. My ear. My cheek. He rains kisses down on me - soft, gentle kisses that are sweet enough to make me forget the pain for a moment.And then I remember where we are."Where is he?" I ask. "Where did he go?" I lift my head, and for the first time since leaving the trunk, I look around. We appear to be at some sort of rest stop, only judging by the condition of this place, it's been out of use for some time. The building is run down, the roof partially caved in on the right side. The single vending machine has been smashed open, and there's not a single snack left inside. The parking lot is overgrown with weeds."He took off walking down the highway," Rafe says. "But he won't get far. I have a few friends waiting for him.""Friends?""Let's just say a local motorcycle gang owes me a favor from a few years ago."I lean back, looking up at him. As usual, his response brings up more questions than answers. But I try to focus on the most
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 55: The Rescue
"You fucking bastard," Rafe says. His back is rigid, his hands clenched. In the back waistband of his jeans I see the handle of a gun, and I'm both shocked and relieved to see that he has one, too. But it does him no good tucked away like that. If he moves a muscle, Matt might shoot him where he stands."I tried to do this the nice way," Matt says, "but you wouldn't listen to reason.""What do you want?" Rafe asks. "More money?"Matt shakes his head. "No. We're past that.""Then why the hell won't you leave me alone?""Because you fucked me over. And when you fuck me over, I fuck you over."The panic is threatening to take over me again. Rafe is in trouble. Matt clearly has no intention of negotiating anything. If anything, it's beginning to sound like he lured Rafe out here to murder him. I can't let that happen - but what can I do, bound and gagged like this?I don't have many options. But all Rafe needs is for Matt to be distracted for a second or two - just enough time to re
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 54: In The Trunk
I wake to a splitting headache and shooting pains up and down my arms.At first, I don't remember what happened to me. And I don't understand why I can't move my body properly. Everything aches, but there's noticeably sharper pain at my wrist and ankles, as well as running from my hands all the way up to my shoulders.My arms are trapped behind my back, I notice as I twist slightly. That's why they hurt so much. I try to move them, but I find that my wrists are tied. So are my ankles.That's when I remember everything - the creeping sensation in the parking lot, the sudden appearance of Rafe's sketchy friend, the way he grabbed me and held something over my mouth.He chloroformed me.Panic shoots though my body - first for myself, for the briefest of seconds, and then for my baby.Oh my God, my baby.I try to scream, but there's a gag in my mouth and the sound is muffled. Wherever I am, it's too dark to see anything. I writhe, trying to loosen the bonds around my wrists and ankl
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 53: Kidnapped
Very quickly, my life falls into a pattern again - work, sleep, chores around the house, errands. After the first week, people seem to realize that I'm not on the cusp of a breakdown, and many of them begin to acknowledge the baby. Men hold doors open for me, women ask how I'm feeling, and I receive a couple of anonymous gifts on my doorstep - a bundle of hand-me-down baby clothes, tied up in a soft blanket, and a few care-worn books about pregnancy and baby care. I feel a tinge of heartache at the sight of the books - they remind me of the ones on Rafe's desk - so I set them aside for the time being. There's still plenty of time to come back to them later.See? I tell myself on the ninth day after my return. You don't need him. You already have all of the support you need right here. I rub my hand across my softly rounded belly. We'll make it, sweet one. One way or another.I can almost believe that, at least when I'm awake. Every morning, when I fall into my bed to sleep, I dream o
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 52: Trying To Forget
- THREE DAYS LATER - This is how air is supposed to smell. Funny, that that's the first thing I notice when I step outside my door. I'd forgotten what fresh, clean air smells like. How it feels on my skin. If I close my eyes, I can pick out all the pieces of it - the faint scent of spruce, the hint of moisture that means we'll have rain sometime during the night, the crisp coolness the wind picks up in its trip across the valley.I knew I missed home, but now I wonder how I ever survived away from it for so long. There's a peacefulness here, a wildness that makes me feel like everything is going to be all right.Some of the time, anyway.Now I just have to stop missing Rafe. There's a familiar pang of loss in my stomach, but I ignore it and head to work. I feel like I'm doing that a lot these days – shoving down the feelings I don't know how to deal with right now.Even the Dandelion Diner looks more cheerful than I remember. The fluorescent lights on the sign welcome me back wit
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 51: The Escape
I wait until the middle of the night to leave. I know he deserves better, but I don't trust myself to actually walk away if I have to do it face-to-face.Carefully, I pull away from the circle of his arms. His breathing is steady and deep, and he hardly even stirs as I quietly slip out of bed. I gather my few things and quickly dress. I've been debating whether or not to leave him a note, to tell him where I've gone and why. It feels less cowardly, somehow, to write him a message, even if I'm still sneaking away while he's asleep.I pause next to the bed, looking down at him. He looks so big and strong, even when he's asleep, but there's a slight softness about him, too. It's that softness that makes my heart ache now.Against my better judgment, I lean down over him, brushing my lips softly against his brow."Goodbye," I whisper.Then I sneak quietly out the bedroom door.I make it about ten paces before I first have to fight the urge to turn back. But I place my hand on my bell
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 50: I Have To Be Stronger
I stumble into one of the downstairs bathrooms, my stomach heaving. But when I bend over the toilet, nothing comes up.It actually explains a lot, the drugs. It explains why Rafe has been so secretive about who he is outside of the time he spends with me. And why he got so upset that I'd researched him online - maybe one of his arrests was drug related, or maybe his habit was openly discussed in the tabloids. Why didn't Cynthia warn me about that? Why didn't Ashlyn?It also may explain the mysterious man who keeps showing up where Rafe is. What if he's Rafe's dealer? He certainly looked the part. Or worse - what if Rafe is his dealer? Maybe acting and modeling isn't wild or dangerous enough for Rafe and he started a little side business just to entertain himself.I understand now why he's been so closed-mouthed about all of this. He knew it would be a deal-breaker, that I'd never agree to raise my baby around someone actively involved with drugs.I'm so sorry, sweet one, I think. I
The Fontaines of Hollywood series: The Mystery of You Chapter 49: The Discovery
This is dangerous. I need to take care of myself - need to guard myself against him somehow. But how? He can completely undo me with a single touch.When we reach Rafe's house, I'm still a little light-headed. Hot and heavy sex will do that to you. As I try to clear the brain fog, Rafe puts a warm, steady hand on my waist."I'm going to go hop in the shower," he says. "Care to join me?"It will be more than a shower, I know."I'm going to go grab a glass of water first," I say. "I'll join you in a minute."He dips his head and bites me right where my neck meets my shoulder. I gasp in pleasure, and he releases me with a devilish grin on his face. He wants to make sure I'm still aching for him before he walks away.It's on wobbly legs that I make my way to the kitchen. I grab a glass of water and fill it at the faucet, wondering why I can't seem to escape this complicated mess. As I wait for my glass to fill, I look down at my belly. I spread my fingers and press my hand against it
