Fulfillment (Book 3 in The Temptation Series) (15 page)

“It’s not my
birthday yet,” I breathed heavily.

“I know. I
just wanted to be the first to say it.”

I lovingly
scoffed at his charm. “You, Mr. Clark, are too sweet. Thank you.
Oh, and thank you for organising this party for me and for putting
up my family and friends in the hotel. It’s the best birthday
present ever.”

He cocked an
eyebrow at me. “This is not your birthday present, Hunny.”

“Oh, well I
look forward to
that
present later.” I mirrored
his expression but added a naughty smile.

He looked
confused at first but then realisation spread over him. “No.
That
is not your present either.
That
is inevitable. You will have to wait till tomorrow
for your birthday present.”

“Bryce. I hope
you didn’t get me anything.”
Of course he freakin’ did!
“This party is more than enough. I don’t want anything else.”

“Yes, you
do.”

I looked at
him strangely, ready to question him further when the buzzer to the
apartment rang. My inquisitiveness changed to one of excitement at
the knowledge that my guests were beginning to arrive, so much so,
that I put his mysterious birthday gift at the back of my mind.

One of the
hotel’s catering staff politely opened the door and a wide-eyed
Carls walked through. “Well, Fuc...out,” she looked sheepishly at
Nate and Charli, “far out, far freakin out. This place is
incredible.”

I walked up to
her and gave her a huge hug. “Hey Carls.” I hadn’t seen her since
the week I’d spent at Mum and Dad’s house after finding out Rick
had lied about cheating on me, and that Bryce had offered Rick five
million dollars to let me spend that week with him. Carls had come
to my rescue and spent some time with me, helping me forget about
the pain and betrayal I’d felt at the hands of the two men. She was
my best friend and had been since we were young kids. I loved her,
adored her and at times like all best friends, could kill her.

“This place is
amazeballs, Lexi!”
Amazeballs? Has she been speaking to Nate
again? Where the fuck she does come up with this shit?

I shook my
head at her and smiled. “Yeah, it’s not a bad little place to live,
ay?”

“Pfft, yeah,
you could say that.” She pushed me back to arms-length and looked
intently in my eyes, then drifted her stare down my body and back
up again. “You look amazing. Shacking up with a rich stud-muffin
does wonders for you. Speaking of the sexy stud-muffin, I need to
formally thank him for his hospitality.”

With her hands
still on my shoulders, she gently moved me aside and headed
directly for Bryce. He looked amused.

“As long as
you only thank him, Carls. That stud-muffin belongs to me.”

“Not until
there’s an engagement ring on your finger...Wait!” She paused and
turned back to me. “Show me your hand, is that why you are looking
so good?”

I rolled my
eyes at her. “No! There is no engagement ring on my finger.”

“There will be
soon,” Bryce confidently stated.
Oh shit! Is that the present he
is talking about? I hope not. But...I do want him to propose, it’s
just a bit too soon. Shit!

Carls smiled
mischievously then continued on to Bryce, wrapping her arms around
him. “Thank you.” She hugged him tight and squeezed his
biceps...then squeezed them again.

He playfully
grinned over her shoulder at me. “You’re welcome, Carly.”

Pouting, she
reluctantly let him go and made her way back to me. “So, Lexi, the
soon-to-be-bigamist.”

“I am not a
fucking soon-to-be-bigamist.”

“Mum!”
Charlotte waltzed into the room. “You just F-Bombed. You know the
rules, now I get to bomb you.”

Ah crap!
Who made up this stupid game? Oh...that’s right, me. Stupid me.
“Um, I know, Charlotte, but you can’t bomb me. Not now.”

Without the
slightest inclination as to why I was not about to let her play
‘Stacks On’, she diplomatically replied. “A rule is a rule,
Mum.”

“Charli.” I
subtly tried to raise my eyebrow at her. “You can’t.” I exaggerated
the
can’t
bit. “You could hurt me. You don’t want to
hurt
me, do you?”

She looked at
me strangely with her hands on her hips, suggesting she had been
cheated or swindled. Then, she caught on. “Ohhh, I could hurt the
baby,” she blurted out and slapped her hand to her head. “Okay,
Mum, I’ll let you off this time.” She walked up to Carly. “Hi,
Aunty Carls.” Charlotte and Nate had always referred to Carly as
their Aunty; Carls was like a sister to me anyway.

Staring at me
with her mouth wide open, a smile tugging at its corners, Carly
looked wonderfully stunned. She nonchalantly gave Charlotte a quick
hug, while keeping her amused expression fixed on me. “You’re
pregnant?”

“Yes, I am.” I
shot her a hold-on-a-minute look. “Charlotte, please don’t tell
anyone else. Bryce and I want to make it a surprise and tell
everyone later tonight.” Stupid me, I didn’t even think to tell
motor-mouth Charli to keep our baby news a secret.

“Oh, sorry
Mum.”

“It’s okay,
Sweetheart. But don’t tell anyone else, alright?”

She skipped
off. “Okay.”

I turned back
to Carly and smiled, while placing my nurturing hand on its
favourite spot—my stomach. “Yes, Bryce planted his seed.” I
smirked.

He came up
behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders. “What can I say, I
like gardening,” he explained.

I leaned back
into him and laughed.

“Wow...that’s...wow! I’m assuming it wasn’t planned.” Carly looked
at me hesitantly.

“No. It
definitely wasn’t planned,” I answered.

She looked up
at Bryce then her expression changed. Curious, I tilted my head to
glance at Bryce too. However, whatever had prompted her strange
form was lost on me, because he peered down into my eyes displaying
nothing but love and happiness, filling me with butterflies.

“So you’re
both happy?”

We both
answered her simultaneously, without removing our eyes from one
another. “Of course we are.”

“Well, in that
case, congratulations.”

With
impeccable timing, a waiter appeared next to us with glasses of
champagne on a tray. Carly grabbed two glasses and went to hand me
one. She paused at the same moment Bryce opened his mouth and
objected.

“Uh uh.” He
grabbed the slightly pink coloured glass that was still sitting on
the tray. “You, my love, get this one.” He handed me the drink.
“The pink glasses are yours. All waiting staff have been briefed
and know only to give you these ones.

“You’ve got to
be kidding.” I furrowed my brow at him “What is it?”

The buzzer to
the apartment sounded again, and the door was opened to allow the
members of Live Trepidation in. Bryce began to make his way over to
them when he answered my question. “No. I’m not kidding. I never
kid where you are concerned. You, my love, are drinking
non-alcoholic rose wine tonight.”
Ah. Shit. Crap. Balls.

Carly shrugged
her shoulders, and rather than put one of the two glasses she had
picked up back down, she happily took sips from them both.

“Suffer,” she
said, with a childish grin.

I squinted my
eyes at her then smiled over to my newly arrived guests. Carly
quickly tilted her head down and lowered her voice, speaking into
the glass. “Who the fuck is that sex-on-a-stick?” She took an
inconspicuous sip.

I followed her
line of sight. “That is Derek, Bryce’s best mate. He’s also the
lead singer of the band. He was at the pub in Shepparton, remember?
When the band played “November Rain” and Bryce performed the guitar
solos for me.”

“Is that him?
Oh my God, he looks different.”

“Well you were
slightly occupied with the barman. Plus Derek has shaved his head
since then, maybe that’s why you don’t recognise him.”

“Fuck, Lexi.
He is beyond hot. His hotness factor is through the bloody
roof.”

I laughed at
her choice of words. “It’s funny you should say that, because he is
a firefighter.”

She grabbed a
hold of my arm and pretended to go weak at the knees. “Please tell
me he’s single, Alexis, because I have a fucking ferocious fire in
between my legs that he needs to put out.”

I cracked up
laughing. “Yes, Carls. He is single...as far as I know.”

Derek was
extremely good looking. He was the same height as Bryce,
approximately six foot five. He had tanned skin and clearly defined
biceps which by memory were artfully decorated with a few tattoos.
His eyes were a bright blue and his once upon a time caramel
coloured hair was now closely shaved to his head.

Bryce and the
rest of his band, which consisted of Derek, the lead singer and
guitarist; Matt, the bass guitarist; and Will, the drummer, all
made their way over to where Carls and I were standing. As they got
closer, she squeezed my arm tighter and dramatically said under her
breath. “Quick! Quick! My vagina in burning, please
come
to
my rescue.”

I laughed
again and murmured back, “Mr. Firefighter Derek, please douse my
friend’s fiery hole with your fire hose. Nobody likes a burnt
burger.”

Carly nearly
spat her champagne—she was good at that. With great difficulty, we
both managed to subdue ourselves and act like the adults that we
were by the time the men reached our position in the room.

Bryce placed
his arm around my waist securing me to him. “Alexis, you remember
Derek, Will, and Matt.”

“Yes, of
course I do. It’s nice to see you all again. Thanks for
coming
.”

Carly giggled
at my choice of word, forcing a childish giggle from me too.
Carly Josephine Henkley, stop that.

“Happy
birthday, Alexis.” Derek handed me a small package.
Oh God, a
present. How embarrassing. I really don’t need presents.

I sheepishly
took it from him. “You really shouldn’t have.”

He smiled and
shrugged his shoulders. Bryce looked at him in wonder.

“Is it your
birthday, Lexi?” Carly asked, knowing it was. “Because I didn’t get
you jack shit.”

I gently
shoved her shoulder. “Sorry, this rude bitch here is my best friend
Carly. Carly, this is Will, Matt and Derek. They are members of the
band Bryce plays in.”

“Yes, I know.
I saw you guys in Shepparton. You were all fantastic.” She pointed
her glass at Derek. “And you, have a voice to die for.”
Oh God.
Carls the epitome of obvious.

I smirked at
her as I unwrapped my present, discovering a Live Trepidation CD.
“I love it! Thank you.” I really did love it. Now I could cruise
around in my car and listen to my sensationally talented sexy rock
god, play his guitar chords. I looked up at Bryce with a big smile.
“You didn’t tell me you had a CD.”

“We’ve only
just recently produced it. It appears you would be one of the first
to own a copy.”

“Oh, lucky me.
Can you all sign it?”

“I think track
four already has your name on it,” Matt said, as he took hold of a
beer from the tray a waiter before us was balancing.

“A track that
has my name on it?” I repeated, confused.

The buzzer to
the door sounded again, and this time the people entering seemed to
be never ending. Bryce quickly interrupted my train of thought and
excused us.

“Your family
is here.” He gently guided me toward to apartment entryway
door.

***

I spent the
first part of the evening as a tour guide, showing my friends and
family around the apartment, Tash being the only exception to the
welcoming expedition, having already visited after taking Bryce up
on his offer of a job at the hotel. She was due to begin her first
shift as an event supervisor starting this coming Monday.

Lil, Jade, and
Steph, together with their husbands also seemed quite impressed
with my new home.
Honestly, how could you not be, this place is
a palace. I still feel like royalty when I am here and I love
it.
I might make all my friends curtsy upon
entering.

My brother
Jake playfully tutted every time I showed him a new room, and
Jen...well she was just about ready to move in, having taken a
liking to Lucy’s room with the cot.

The evening
had gone rather smoothly, with every one happily talking amongst
themselves to low volumed background music. The kids were having a
great time at the arcade, allowing us parents to relax and enjoy
each other’s company together with food and drinks. Rick was even
contentedly mingling with our mutual friends, however, he was
clearly avoiding my family—especially Jake. Even Gareth had gladly
arrived with Samantha by his side and appeared to be enjoying his
surroundings and company. Seeing him and Sam look somewhat jovial
eased my concerns in regards to their relationship. However, I
still felt Sam deserved to know the truth about Gareth’s diagnosis,
so that she could decide for herself if his condition was one she
could overlook. I knew deep down I had to tell her. I think I had
made that decision the moment I became aware that Gareth suffered
Dissociative Identity Disorder, having had an apprehensive notion
in the pit of my stomach that told me one way or another I would
enlighten Sam. I just hoped it didn’t reverse Gareth’s clear
positive progression of late.

I knew the
time to make a speech and deliver our exciting news was fast
approaching, so I decided I would take the opportunity to speak
with Rick privately on the balcony. He was in deep discussion with
Dean, Tash’s husband, about the Grand Prix when I politely
interrupted.

“Excuse me,
guys. Sorry, but could I talk to you for a moment, Rick?”

He looked at
me sceptically. “Sure. I’ll be right a back, Dean.”

I motioned him
to follow me out onto the balcony and around the corner to where
the Crow sat silently in the night’s darkness. I led us both to the
balustrade, hoping the twinkling city skyline would provide a calm
and serene atmosphere. It didn’t seem to work, because I suddenly
felt nervous as fuck, knowing the news I was about to deliver was
going to hurt and anger Rick. And regardless of what he had put me
through, I didn’t want to hurt him.