Covet (20 page)

T
he Gulfstream slipped
into the cloudless sky above San Diego around 730 AM, and Scarlet was already on her second glass of pinot as they ascended to cruising altitude.

“Slow down there,” Barrett laughed. “You’re either going to be piss drunk or dead asleep by the time we get there.”

“One can hope,” she muttered. “I’m just very anxious.”

He took her hand in his, “Me too, baby. You know I love you, right? No matter what?”

Scarlet nodded. “I know,” she said. “But I don’t know what to expect.”

She’d called her contact at the agency that had handled Thisbe’s adoption. When she’d chosen Thisbe’s parents one of the things she wouldn’t compromise on was having an open adoption. She wanted to see that Thisbe was okay and she wanted letters telling her about what Thisbe’s life was like. It hadn’t been hard to get them to agree to it, and she was forever grateful for that. They’d also said she was more than welcome to visit Thisbe once a year after they told Thisbe about her adoption story. All had agreed that it was up to her adoptive parents to decide when she was ready, and it was expected that by the time she reached elementary school, they would tell her. Scarlet had been more than fine with that.

But now that Barrett knew, it made things potentially complicated for the amazing couple that had taken their child in as their own. And Scarlet didn’t want that. It had never been her intention for any of this to happen and it sickened her to possibly make any of them feel uncomfortable or betrayed.

But Barrett had rights too. She understood that.

Fuck Patricia Evers
, she thought as she downed the last of her second glass of wine.
I hope somehow she can pay for everything she’s done to all of us.

* * *

B
arrett had been texting
with his lawyers all morning. He didn’t want to speak to them over the phone since Scarlet was right next to him, but he wanted to know what his options were in this situation. He understood why Scarlet was nervous, but he was determined to have his chance to see Thisbe and, hopefully, one day be with her. And Thisbe was still young enough that all of this could happen without any lasting psychological damage done. He was sure of it.

All he cared about was Scarlet and his daughter. Nothing else mattered.

His lawyers were also heading to Nashville from Atlanta and Barrett planned on meeting up with them as soon as they got off the plane. He didn’t see the point in sharing this with Scarlet yet, it would just compound her anxiety. She’d practically jumped out of her skin when the flight attendant had offered her a fruit tray.

He glanced over at her now. It was hard to believe all that had transpired in the last week. What had originally started as him wanting to have one last dinner with her had turned into something that was bigger than anything he could have ever expected. Not only was he getting Scarlet back, but he was gaining so much more.

And the hell if he was going to allow anyone to stand in the way of what he wanted.

S
carlet’s contractions
had begun on a late Saturday afternoon. She was taking a nap on Vanessa’s couch while the E! Network hummed in the background.

It hadn’t been like in the movies. At first they just felt like intense menstrual cramps. She thought maybe they were Braxton Hicks contractions and she drank some water and lay down on her left side, thinking they would pass. She wasn’t technically due for another week, though she was officially full term.

But by 800 PM it was clear this was different. They were spaced apart by five minutes and the pain was unfathomably intense. Vanessa had just come back from the store and found Scarlet kneeling in front of the couch, wincing and clutching a throw pillow.

“Holy shit, is it time?” Vanessa exclaimed. “Are you okay? Let me grab your bag. Did your water break? Are you giving birth now? Should I call 911?”

Once the contraction had passed, Scarlet was able to chuckle, “It’s okay, V. It was a contraction, but we should probably start heading to the hospital. And no water has broken as of yet. But if this is just the beginning? It’s going to be a long night.”

* * *

D
r. Sanders met
them in Labor and Delivery an hour later. The contractions were still the same amount of time apart and Scarlet was barely dilated.

“We might have to send you back home,” Dr. Sanders said. “I know that’s not what you want to hear.”

Scarlet was already exhausted and the thought of going back home and coming back later made her nauseated. She nodded, “Okay, I guess we…”

All of a sudden, a sound like a champagne cork popping. And suddenly Scarlet was drenched.

“I think my water just broke,” Scarlet said, looking at Dr. Sanders.

“Your water definitely just broke,” Dr. Sanders smiled. “So that means you’re not going anywhere. Let’s get you into a room.”

Scarlet smiled, relieved. She touched her belly and whispered, “We’re almost there, Thisbe. I told you, I wouldn’t give up. So don’t you give up on me either, sweet baby.”

One of the RNs wheeled Scarlet to a room, Vanessa closely following behind with Scarlet’s bag. A contraction hit and Scarlet cried out.

“I’m right here, Scar,” Vanessa said. “It’s going to be okay.”

Scarlet nodded through her tears, the pain tearing through her abdomen like nothing she’d ever felt.

God, I need Barrett
, she thought.
I need him so bad. How am I going to do this without him?

* * *

T
he night was
long and the pain was unrelenting.

Scarlet was trying her best to resist getting an epidural, but by midnight she was so spent, she didn’t know how much longer she could hold on. She was dilated to a 4 and getting to a 10 seemed way too far away. She wept as yet another contraction hit, her face sweaty and her blonde hair matted to her forehead.

“Scarlet,” Vanessa said. “I hate to do this… I don’t want to leave you.”

Vanessa had to catch a flight the next morning to a friend’s wedding. She was the maid of honor and the original plan was that she’d be back for Scarlet’s due date in a week. But, as always, things weren’t going as planned.

“It’s okay, V,” Scarlet strained to smile. “I’m going to be just fine. You’re a great friend.”

Vanessa was crying and clutched Scarlet’s hand, “It’s not okay that you’re doing this alone. Do you want me to call your momma?”

Scarlet shook her head, “
No
. Absolutely not. She cannot know about this.”

Vanessa shook her head, “I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to leave you. This is fucked up!”

Scarlet’s contraction had faded a bit and she gathered her strength, “You’re not wrong about that. But this is how it is. All that matters is Thisbe. I’ll be fine. Your sister might need to get me home though.”

“Of course, don’t worry about that,” Vanessa said. “And Thisbe…”

“Her parents are on their way,” Scarlet said, almost sick at the word “parents.” This was all too much and even though she was desperate for Vanessa not to leave her, she needed to be strong. Vanessa had done more than enough.

By 200 AM Scarlet finally gave in and got the epidural. It was the sweetest relief she’d ever felt in her life and she was able to sleep for a couple of hours. When the nurse came in at 500 AM to check her, she had some news.

“You’re at a 10, Scarlet,” she said, her voice gruff. “It’s time to push. Dr. Sanders is on her way with your child’s guardians.”

Guardians,
Scarlet thought in her drugged up haze. I like that word.
They will protect her
from the one that would do her harm
.

T
he Gulfstream landed
in Nashville around 1230 PM and, sure enough, Scarlet was tipsy and tired.

“We need to get some food into you,” Barrett said. “You can’t show up like this. How about we get a bite with some friends of mine?”

Scarlet shook her head, “I’d rather just go to the hotel. Thisbe’s parents said we can stop by tomorrow. They need some time to talk to her, gauge her reaction. I don’t want to rush anything. And honestly, I’m just very tired.”

Barrett sighed, “It won’t be long. I need you with me.”

Scarlet looked at him, “Why? Who are your friends? Music people?”

Barrett looked down at his phone, unable to meet her eyes, “I might have called my lawyers. Just to see what they had to say…”

“We agreed it wasn’t going to be like that,” Scarlet said, her voice raised. “You’re being really fucking pushy about this. I don’t like it, Barrett.”

“We’re just going to talk,” he said. “I swear to God.”

“Your mother is going to find out,” Scarlet said, her chin quivering. “Too many people are finding out and she’s going to hear about it and that thought terrifies me…”

“I told you,
nothing
will happen. I will not allow it. Put some fucking trust in me. I haven’t let you down yet,” he said, taking her face into his hands. “I won’t start now. But you have to let me do this.”

Scarlet looked at him, his face so kind. She knew all he wanted was for her to be happy.

“Okay. Fine. But a short lunch and then back to the hotel, okay?”

* * *

B
arrett’s lawyers
were a couple of stiff-looking guys in crisp suits. They met at Merchants, a southern kind of fancy lunch place, downtown on Broadway. Scarlet remembered that Vanessa had worked there as a waitress part-time when she stayed with her. It was weird how much had changed since then.

Right away Barrett began discussing his options regarding Thisbe. It was agreed by all three men that Barrett had a case to gain custody and that it wouldn’t be difficult seeing that an adoption couldn’t be official without the consent of both parents.

“Not that Scarlet is to blame,” Barrett reiterated. “And not that I want to uproot Thisbe…”

“Actually, that sounds like it’s exactly what you want to do,” Scarlet interjected. “You want to do it legally of course, but it doesn’t make it okay.”

Barrett sighed, “I’m not going to give her up. Either way, someone is left in pain in this situation. I’d rather it not be us this time. I’ve lost enough time with you and her. I won’t lose anymore. It’s not up for discussion.”

Scarlet pushed her chair out to stand and walk out, but Barrett took her by the arm, “I’m sorry. I don’t want to lie to you. I can’t let someone else have our baby, Scarlet. I’ll do whatever I can to make it easier on them, it doesn’t have to be a sudden thing. But I’m going to be honest: my aim is to get her back. She needs to be with us.”

“But you don’t understand,” Scarlet said, trying not to cry under the cool gaze of Barrett’s attorneys. “She’s all they’ve got.”