He was going to hurt us if I didn’t get him his money. And something in the pit of my gut knew he wouldn’t stop at just Bryan or myself.
It wasn’t like I had that kind of money lying around. At least, not that kind of money that Bryan wouldn’t notice was gone. My stomach was still heaving even though there was nothing to bring back up. I put my face in my hands and sobbed, trying to figure out how in the world I was going to come up with that kind of money so quickly. I couldn’t drain any of the accounts because Bryan would know, but if I tapped into any of our investments, the surcharge alone for withdrawing that money would raise red flags with Bryan as well. I leaned back against the wall as my child rolled around in my stomach, using my bladder as a punching bag as I took deep breaths.
But then an idea came charging into my mind, an idea that broke a part of me that had always stood strong. There was only one way I could get that money without throwing immediate flags. There was only one way I could get that kind of money so soon without dragging Bryan into all this drama.
Holy hell, that man had been through enough.
I reached for my purse and dug out my cell phone. I toggled through my contacts as I wiped at my face. I cleared my throat as I dialed Ramon’s number, hoping he would pick up when he saw it was me calling.
But my nausea didn’t fade when he picked up the phone.
“Mrs. Hailey McBride. I was wondering when I would hear from you. How are you, darling?”
His smooth accent rolled over my ears, and I grimaced at what I was about to do.
“Hey there, Ramon,” I said.
“Hailey? You sound sick. Is something wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing’s wrong. Just some fun morning sickness that apparently hasn’t died down yet. Listen, I have a proposition for you.”
“Please tell me you have decided to do another art tour,” he said.
“Maybe after I can give birth and raise my child a bit,” I said. “I was actually calling about John’s twin paintings.”
“Oh? What about them?” he asked.
I felt tears rise to my eyes as I swallowed the bile rising up my throat.
“Are you still interested in purchasing them?”
Chapter 15
Bryan
As I drove myself out to the house, my mind ventured back to Hailey. The sun was shining bright, and I knew things were almost ready for the furniture I was going to purchase, but something wasn’t right. Hailey had been working unusually late. She would lock herself away in her art studio at the house, and she would only emerge if she was hungry or needed some more paint. If I entered a room, she would exit a few minutes later, and I found that she didn’t return. I knew she had a great deal going on, what with hiring someone to help run the gallery and the looming idea of childbirth, but I felt like there was something else going on.
And I was tired of sitting in a home with her and still feeling alone.
I drove out to the house and saw Foreman Jack standing outside. Birds were chirping, and I could smell the ocean as it fluttered over the trees. Everyone was piling out of the house to greet me as I hopped out of my truck, and Jack came over to personally shake my hand.
“Let me show you around,” Jack said.
“Is it finished?”
“Just let me give you the grand tour,” he said.
He ushered me into the house, and I could smell the freshly dried paint on the walls. The hardwood floor underneath my feet was pristine, and it accented the walls perfectly. The house was so open and full of life. Sunlight filtered through the windows, illuminating every corner of the house. There wasn’t an area downstairs that wasn’t somehow bathed in sunlight, and as Jack showed me around, I had to choke back tears.
Our new family home was done.
My surprise for Hailey was almost finished.
“The staircase is what separates the living room from the dining room. It has storage underneath and the kitchen looks out into the backyard. There are french double doors you can throw open to the patio, but the upstairs is my favorite,” Jack said.
We walked up the stairs, and the carpet was plush underneath my feet. My toes sank into the soft warmth of the light blue carpet as the staircase morphed into a hallway. One hallway went straight while two smaller hallways shot off to the left and the right, and I smiled as Jack began throwing open doors. Each bedroom had its own bathroom along with its own walk-in closet. He led me down the main hallway upstairs and kept throwing open doors, showing me the master bedroom and the fully-stocked bathroom they had installed.
I was in awe of how the house had turned out.