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Chelsea
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2022-10-26 14:20:22Related chapters
Unexpected Arrivals James
I'd have a migraine soon if I didn't stop beating my head against the desk. "You promised me, James." Her tears broke me. I'd been trying to get to France since I left my parents' house in August. However, the stars hadn't aligned, and I'd done everything in my power to send the moon into retrograde. We'd been bombarded with new clients. The two investors we'd hired turned into four, and somehow, we still couldn't keep up. I hadn't been to Sideways Shots since I'd gotten home because I'd worked every waking moment in order to clear a few days in my schedule. Oddly, I hadn't heard from any of the people at the bar either, but I guessed that was how the whole "casual" thing worked. "You keep getting my hopes up only to tell me you can't come. It's not fair. Why can't Neil make do without you for a few days?" Wails had turned to whimpers, and I couldn't take it. Every fiber of my being yearned to comfort her, hold her, kiss her forehead, and protect her. I couldn't d
Last Updated : 2022-10-26Unexpected Arrivals James
It wasn't uncommon for Chelsea and me to play phone tag for a week at a time, still, she hadn't read or responded to my texts in a couple of days. When I called today, I half expected to get her voicemail, but she picked up on the last ring. And immediately, I knew something wasn't right. "Chelsea, what's wrong?" There was a long pause, and her deep inhale wasn't a sign of good things to come. Even though I didn't want to pry, if something had happened to her mother, I should be there for her the way she always was for me. I couldn't replace her mom—I could, however, keep her from feeling alone. "My mom has pneumonia. I'm sorry I haven't answered your calls. I've been in Tampa. I'm still here—well, at the hotel. Dottie stayed with her." "Pneumonia's treatable, though, right?" "For lots of people, yes. For someone with late-stage Huntingtons, it's more likely a death sentence." Hearing her cry was almost as bad as listening to Cora. And in both cases, I was
Last Updated : 2022-10-26Unexpected Arrivals James
"Are you sure you're making the right decision?" Neil questioned everything I did in regard to Cora, likely because Hannah questioned everything I did in regard to Cora. However, he'd been sworn to secrecy about this, and if Cora found out, there was only one place it would have come from. "Maybe not, but at least I won't have any regrets. And Chelsea thinks it's romantic, so I'm sure Cora will, too." "I'm not sure taking another woman's advice on proposing is the best thing to do. Not to mention, spending thousands of dollars you can't get back to ensure you don't regret anything is asinine. You can propose after she comes home." "I had planned to propose before she ever left." "Yeah, but you haven't been together in a year and a half. You aren't dating. What if she turns you down?" "I'm not thinking that way." I couldn't. Chelsea was convinced she'd say yes, and I was too. I had to believe Cora loved me and had only needed time to grow into who she was destin
Last Updated : 2022-10-26Unexpected Arrivals Chelsea
"When are you going to tell him, Chelsea?" Dottie's voice was elevated, although it wasn't in anger. She simply didn't want me to face raising a child on my own. "I already told you." I struggled to remain calm. I'd repeated this same thing so many times I was tired of hearing myself talk, all because Dottie refused to listen to reason. "I'm not going to put that on him before he goes to Paris." "Why is his relationship with another woman more important than his responsibility to his child?" She wouldn't let this go. I couldn't tell if it had more to do with my own mother having walked away from my father, or her desire to resurrect her relationship with her child, or a million other things. All I knew was that her constant pushing me to do what she thought was right suffocated me. "It's not, but they'll never get together if she's aware he has a baby on the way. He's leaving in a couple weeks to go see her. It's not like I'm waiting until after the baby's born." My voic
Last Updated : 2022-10-26Unexpected Arrivals Chelsea
I'd never attended a funeral, much less been forced to plan one. It didn't seem fair; she was too young to lose her life to such a cruel disease. I hated that there was no cure and that it was such a painful, degrading way to go. By the time she'd left us, she couldn't talk, couldn't control her motor functions, couldn't swallow, and essentially, lived trapped in a body that refused to work. I'd never be able to say with any certainty just how cognizant she'd been of anything going on around her or if she'd understood when I told her I was pregnant. I knew she'd kept my secret until her dying breath. I'd told her everything I could about James Carpenter: how we'd met, our laughable sexcapade on the beach, all the way to his undying love for Cora. She'd blinked rapidly when I told her about their fairy-tale romance. It may have been a reflex, but I believed she wanted their love story to work out as much as I did. I also believed she understood why I hadn't told him about the baby
Last Updated : 2022-10-26Unexpected Arrivals Chelsea
"Tomorrow's the big day, huh?" I hadn't made the phone call to Carp the night of my mom's funeral. I couldn't bring myself to dial because I couldn't bear for him to ask how things had gone. "Yeah, I leave in less than eight hours. I've got to be at JFK at oh-dark-thirty." "I should let you go so you can get some sleep." "I can talk for a bit. I doubt I'll sleep anyhow." I went through the checklist of things he needed to remember…like I was his mother instead of some strange cell phone pen pal he'd picked up at his father's birthday party. "The ring. If you don't remember anything other than the ring and your passport, you'll be fine." "Got them both." "Don't put the ring in your suitcase. I've heard the airlines search them, and you could lose it to someone who gets grabby in security." "Jesus, that would send me into a tailspin. Can you imagine?" I couldn't, which was why I told him not to do it. "Nope, it would be horrible. Have you final
Last Updated : 2022-10-26Unexpected Arrivals James
Seven and a half hours on a plane seemed like an exorbitant amount of time until I was on said aircraft waiting to reunite with my future at the other end. It had flown by in nervous anticipation, and when the wheels hit the ground, my stomach threatened a revolt. My anxiety hit the roof, and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get out of my seat and down the aisle unassisted. I didn't even want to talk about the form I had to fill out for customs—it wasn't even legible my hands shook so badly. I fumbled with my luggage and got in the endless line to trudge through customs. They were going to think I was a heroin mule due to the volume of sweat pouring off my face—and fuck, my heart raced like I'd just swam across the ocean instead of flown. I looked guilty, and no one would believe it was just jitters from seeing the love of my life. Thankfully, by the time I got to the front of the line, I'd chilled out. I answered the man's questions regarding why I was entering the countr
Last Updated : 2022-10-26Unexpected Arrivals James
I felt like a nervous teen out on our first date again. Except instead of the beach, we were in a park—and this time, I was at her mercy instead of her at mine. "Do you miss us? As a couple." With her last word, her eyes met mine. "Every day." "I have a confession to make." The sheepish look on her face made my stomach flop, and not in a good way. "I thought when I saw you again that I wouldn't love you anymore." I hadn't expected that. Neil had been right, or Hannah—whoever. "I knew my heart would know. This may sound dumb, but I argued with my head and my heart for weeks before I left. My heart longed to stay with you; my head insisted I go. In the end, I convinced myself this would be best for both of us." "How could leaving someone you love be best for either of us?" There was no hiding the confusion or irritation from my voice. She stopped and dropped my hand in favor of my cheek. The weak smile she offered did nothing to calm my ragged breath.
Last Updated : 2022-10-26
Latest chapter
Unexpected Arrivals Legend
I missed my mama every day. She told me she'd have to go to heaven first, but I hadn't really believed her. Or maybe I didn't understand what that meant. Everything she told me had been true. My daddy came to take his turn when hers was over, and he brought Cora. My mama hadn't been able to tell me much about her except that she would love me. And she'd been right. Daddy and I played when he'd get home from work, but Cora was my best friend. We made scrapbooks together and told stories about our mamas, and when I wanted to cry, she didn't treat me like a baby. She held me, and she cried, too. I knew she was sad here, even if she never told me, so I took her out every day looking for a friend—not for me, for Cora. And every time I saw a shooting star, I gave Cora my wish. When I started school, I met lots of kids. My teacher said they were friends—but I didn't think if someone bit you or hit someone else that made them a friend. I thought it made them mean. Maybe Cora should t
Unexpected Arrivals Cora
Chapter 71: Cora"So when do we get to meet the little urchin?" Neil was excited to meet his best friend's son. "Cora's grandmother is bringing him home around lunch." "How's that going, Cora?" The concern on Neil's face was endearing. "Really well. It's not going to fix itself overnight, even so, I think we're both trying. And that's about all we can do right now. Legend makes it a lot easier." "Does anyone have any idea why his mom gave him such an…odd name?" Hannah had chosen her words carefully as not to offend James, but he'd wondered the same thing. "We haven't asked." I wanted to. However, with everything else going on, it seemed to be at the bottom of the list of things to question. Before the conversation of namesakes could continue, the front door flew open as the doorbell rang. Gwendolyn tried to respect the Carpenters, while Legend had already made himself at home. "Daddy, look what Dottie got me." He flew through the foyer and into the b
Unexpected Arrivals Cora
Having joint custody of a young child was exhausting. We weren't obligated by court order to give Gwendolyn any time, but Legend loved her, and it gave me an excuse to spend time with her out of perceived obligation. I didn't have to admit I was anxious to get to know her or that I had questions. I didn't have to tell her I'd done nothing besides think about all the ways I'd missed out over the years. I got to use Legend as an excuse to have lunch with her during an exchange or walk on the beach while he played in the waves, or sit on a park bench when he climbed on a jungle gym like a monkey. And each opportunity opened the door to a relationship I'd never imagined I'd have, much less crave. Day by day, I realized what I would have missed out on had I not given her the chance. And I tried not to dwell on all I'd lost in favor of all I had to gain. "I'm going to miss you tonight, buddy." Legend was tall and lanky, much like the pictures I'd seen of James at his age, and he gave th
Unexpected Arrivals Cora
"So your father was Chelsea's dad, but she never met him, which makes you Legend's aunt and stepmother? And Gwendolyn, or Dottie, is not only your grandmother; she's my son's great-grandmother? For a Chase, that sounds awfully reprehensible and totally preposterous—not to mention, a tad trashy." I couldn't tell if he didn't buy it or he was so dumbfounded that reality hadn't quite hit him. So I stood there with my arms crossed over my chest, my hip cocked to the side against the dresser, and a death glare on my face while I blinked slowly in his direction. He continued to move about our room getting ready for bed, and still, I said nothing—waiting for it to register. When he finally stopped, presumably because I hadn't made a peep, I pursed my lips and raised my brow, daring him to make another joke. "Baby, what do you want me to say?" He patted the mattress next to him, but I remained firmly planted. "I can't begin to wrap my mind around any of the twisted pieces in the puzz
Unexpected Arrivals Cora
I wandered aimlessly across the island. Although, the years of blame and weeks of turmoil with Gwendolyn at the forefront subsided. Eventually, I had to end up back at the Carpenters', nevertheless my mind was a disaster. The farther I walked, the more muddled I became. I'd cried more in the last two hours than I could remember in the last two years. Tears didn't bring clarity, only a headache. I couldn't imagine how I'd tell James that Legend had a fifty percent chance of having Huntingtons, much less suggest having him tested. Moreover, I couldn't figure out why we would want a death sentence for a child we'd just met. If there wasn't a cure, then why live with that looming overhead. It made no sense to me, but it wasn't my choice to make. Legend wasn't my son—not biologically anyway. James and Gwendolyn would need to be the ones to make that decision. I didn't envy either in that choice and wished I could fix it with a hug, since that was about all I had to offer. When th
Unexpected Arrivals Cora
"Was she sick when she got pregnant?" "Yes. Although, I doubt James even realized it. She had tremors in her hands, and at that point, she wasn't comfortable driving because every once in a while, she'd get turned around. However, most of her symptoms were easily masked as fatigue or clumsiness. And she wasn't around James much before he left town. The disease didn't progress drastically until Legend was about three." "How could she have ever thought she could raise a child alone?" The part of me that had been grateful to Chelsea for the gift she'd given us had turned to rage. "I can't imagine being so selfish knowing she was going to die and that child would have no one." "He had me. The same way she always had. And in her eyes, that was a great life." "Explain that to me. How did my dad go from knocking up her mom to you being the grandmother to her that you never were to me?" "Would you like some more coffee, dear?" I could tell that was her way of try
Unexpected Arrivals Cora
I made it to the end of the driveway before curiosity got the better of me. I shouldn't care what she'd meant by so did they, yet each step I took got harder as the sentiment echoed in my mind. I stopped and stared at the sky, cursing God for giving me a heart that made me unable to let those three words go. "Ugh," I groaned to no one. Nothing she could say would change anything. Still, for some reason, I couldn't walk away. It was like not picking up the next book after a major cliffhanger. I had to have the truth, even if the ending sucked. My shoulders dropped in defeat, and I pivoted on the ball of my foot to head back to my grandmother's porch. Each time I lifted my foot, taking me closer to her front door, I cringed inside. "Get the information. In and out. You don't have to make friends with her or even peace. Just find out her side and go." Talking to myself in my head was one thing; doing it out loud took my irritation to a whole new level. I sounded like an i
Unexpected Arrivals Cora
When the door finally cracked open, I was met by a face I wanted to love but couldn't figure out how. "I had hoped you'd come by at some point. Please, come in." She ushered me through and straight into her home. "Is everything all right with Legend?" Gwendolyn asked as she pointed me toward the couch. "Oh yeah, he's fine. He and James went to the park." "Would you like some coffee?" Coffee indicated I'd be here a while. It would also give me something to do besides fidget with my hands and pick at my fingers. "That would be nice, thank you." She made her way to the kitchen, leaving me on the couch. "Your father was a big coffee drinker, although, I don't recall your mother ever liking it much." I smiled at the memory. My love of the drink had indeed come from my dad. "She didn't care for it, but I used to steal sips of his when he wasn't looking." It had slipped out before I realized I was being civil. "Are you hungry? I have some muffins." "N
Unexpected Arrivals Cora
"How are things going?" I hadn't had much time to talk to Hannah since we'd left New York, and I missed my best friend. "Status quo. The real question is how are you holding up?" The concern was evident in Hannah's tone. "Honestly, I'm struggling, but not with what you'd expect." "Oh yeah? Insta-mom has been a walk in the park?" She giggled. "Hannah, he's awesome. You're going to love him. He looks nothing like James, but it's uncanny how similar the two are. I'm completely gone for him." "Then what's the problem, are you jealous?" "Of what?" I'd just told her how much I adored Legend. There was no reason to think I'd be jealous of his relationship with his dad. "The other woman," she whispered as if Chelsea were a secret. "You are aware she passed away, right?" "Yeah, but she still had your husband's child. And I remember how you felt about her when you were in France. This has to be like a giant slap in the face—her parting gift to you."
