Secrets and Lies (Vandervilles Book 2) Read online

  Regina hadn’t even heard the phone ring. She’d put it on silent so she wouldn’t get distracted.

  What a fool she’d been, especially with this psycho stalking them. She should have had her phone close by in case anyone needed her.

  Now look at the situation. Chloe and Kelly told her what had happened with Richard. That had to be what Taylor wanted to talk about. Maybe if they spoke she wouldn’t be here now. They’d be home, either at hers or Taylor’s place talking, and she’d be doing her best to make her feel better. Regina couldn’t even register the shock of finding out about Richard. She knew all too well what it was like to be lied to and disrespected in that way, and hoped such a thing wouldn’t repeat itself with her dear daughter. Richard never struck her as the kind of man to live a double life. She always felt that he’d loved and adored Taylor. She’d been so happy that Taylor had found someone she clearly loved so much. But it was all a lie. She felt terrible for her and could only imagine how heartbroken her poor Taylor was. So heartbroken that it resulted in a devastating crash that could have cost her her life.

  She’d been by herself with Taylor now for nearly two hours. It had helped earlier when the others were here. The support gave her strength. As soon as they left, her energy depleted, sapped away from her.

  She’d called Ben several times during the night with no answer. Regina called Brian, too, but when he answered he wasn’t able to hear her. It sounded like he was far away and when the phone had rung it had that echoey sound like when you went abroad. She sent him a message explaining what had happened, to which he replied that he was on his way. Since she didn’t want to leave Taylor she asked Wade if he could call Brian again. It would be good if he was able to speak to someone, and even better if he could get here as soon as he could.

  There was so much to think about, so much she should have done and didn’t. If something happened to Taylor and Regina never got the chance to tell her that Brian was her father, that alone would kill her. It would devastate her to no end.

  She turned her head as the door handle turned. Hope filled her at the thought that it could be Brian, but the hope disappeared, just like her energy, when she saw that it was Ben.

  She glared at him, feeling the reproach burning her eyes. This man had always let her down, throughout their entire marriage. He was never there when she needed him, not even for the simple things.

  Ben rushed in when his eyes landed on Taylor; he looked terrible.

  Regina rose from her chair, seething with rage. She couldn’t believe that he was just turning up now. Where the hell had he been?

  “Ten minutes,” was all she said to him. It was all he deserved.

  Ben snapped his head around at her and looked at her with the same intensity she issued him. His gray eyes darkened like angry thunderclouds.

  “What do you mean by ten minutes?” His voice took on a depth of authority that infuriated her even more.

  “Ten minutes, Ben. You have ten minutes, and then I want you to leave.”

  With blazing eyes and nostrils flared, he beheld her as if he would kill her right there if he could. Regina didn’t doubt the possibility of that.

  She walked out, allowing him the chance to be alone with Taylor. As much as she didn’t want to leave Taylor’s side, she couldn’t bear to stay there with Ben and whatever lie he would concoct as an excuse for not being here hours ago when she first called him.

  Which woman could he have been with that made him miss so many calls? She’d called him, Wade had called him. The hospital had called him. That was all a good eight hours ago and Ben was only just showing up now.

  How despicable. She didn’t even want to begin to imagine what he was doing and who he was with.

  Regina took the chance to go outside and grab some fresh air. It helped. It cleared the numbness in her mind and gave her some ease. She needed to keep strong and be positive. She needed to have faith that Taylor would pull through this and bounce back to the way she was before.

  The doctors were monitoring her closely and hadn’t said anything one way or the other, so Regina had to take that to mean that she could hold onto hope.

  Hold on tight.

  When she thought ten minutes had passed, she made her way back to Taylor’s room. Before she even opened the door she heard voices arguing.

  She flung the door open and saw Ben and Brian inside squaring off with each other, ready to fight. It had been years since the two of them were in the same room. The last time was the same. She looked at them, from one to the other. Ben, Benjamin Vanderville, her so called husband, the man she was forced to marry. And Brian, the love of her life, the man she should have married. Taylor’s father. What a mess.

  Brian looked worse than she’d ever seen him and that calm demeanor he usually had about him wasn’t there anymore. He looked at Ben as if he would destroy him and Regina was sure that if it came down to a fight Brian would win. He was more muscular and taller than Ben and had that presence that showed he could fight if he needed to.

  Ben was tall, too, but had no muscle definition. He’d lose the fight, but it was what he could do after that made him dangerous. What he could do without the need to use his fists.

  “Your ten minutes are up Ben.” Regina declared, keeping her eyes firmly on him.

  “So that’s how this is going to be?” His voice quivered, almost making her take some pity on him.

  “Where were you all night?” Regina cried. “I called you eight hours ago. Wade called you, the damn hospital called you. You could have been here the same length of time as me.” She was surprised to find a tear running down her cheek. She didn’t think she had any more of those left.

  “Doesn’t matter where I was. How dare you give me ten minutes? Does he get ten minutes too?” He pointed at Brian and Regina shook her head.

  “You are truly despicable, Ben.”

  “Am I? This piece of filth’s blood may run through her veins but I’m her father.” Ben balked.

  Regina widened her eyes and the numbness she felt previously returned tenfold. She saw Brian go rigid and ball his fist.

  She didn’t know how, how Ben could have found out that Brian was Taylor’s father. And she didn’t know when he’d found out.

  To her surprise, he released a cynical laugh. “The look on your face is classic. It really is. Yes, I know. I know about you and this low life. So don’t fuck with me.”

  Brian cleared his throat and stepped closer to Ben. “Your ten minutes is up, Benjamin,” Brian said, shocking them both. He stood tall and proud with his chin lifted high.

  Ben looked him over from head to toe with a crude smile. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me, so don’t you fuck with me. If you want to fight we can step outside and I’ll beat you to a bloody pulp. Just say the word. If not, then leave. My daughter needs to rest. She was just in an accident.”

  Fear ran through Regina as she watched Ben’s reaction. For once he looked like he’d lost the upper hand, and it was because Brian was right. And right now Brian looked scarier than Ben.

  When Ben didn’t move, Brian raised his eyebrows questioningly. That made Ben move. He stepped backwards and turned to make his way to the door.

  “Bellezza,” Brian said to Regina with his hand stretched out to her.

  She went over to him and took his awaiting hand, eliciting a scowl from Ben before he went through the door.

  Regina looked up to Brian as the door closed and felt her shoulders sag as the brave façade she’d just displayed left her. Like always, Brian took her into his arms and held her.

  “I’m so sorry,” she cried, apologizing for everything. Everything. From Taylor’s condition to the whole messy situation with Ben.

  Regina had taken great care not to let Ben find out about Taylor. She couldn’t begin to imagine how he must have found out the truth, but what was worse was that the joke was on her. She hid the truth from him because she thought he’d do something to Brian if he ever found out.
But, he’d found out. How long ago she didn’t know and it would probably grieve her to know.

  All this time when she thought she was safe and doing the best thing, she really wasn’t. That was his triumph over her. Over them, her and Brian.

  “No more waiting in the shadows, Regina.” He pulled back far enough so he could see her face.

  She gazed up into his brilliant green eyes and thought of Taylor. He released her and walked up to Taylor. She watched him grip onto the edge of the bed with one hand, then with the other he picked up a lock of her white-blonde hair that rested along her arm.

  Brian stared at Taylor and she could only imagine what he must have felt. She could only imagine the pain that must have wracked him.

  Everything Regina had ever done had been a mistake. Everything. Brian talked of shadows. No more staying in the shadows. But it was her that had put him there. Regina put him there, robbing him of a life of happiness. A life he could have shared with his daughter, knowing her.

  Instead of this.

  Taylor had to pull through. She had to. God couldn’t take her and let the story end this way. Brian was too good a person for that to happen to him. He was an angel. So Taylor had to pull through, and when she did Regina swore that she would tell her about Brian the first chance she got.

  Chloe

  Chloe rested the overnight bag she had packed on the side table next to Taylor’s bed. She’d packed all of her favorite things, the things Taylor called her survival pack. It had been the same for years. Number one was her hairbrush. That was a definite must because her hair had to be in tiptop shape.

  When they were younger she’d had this crazy fantasy that she was going to somehow marry Antonio Sabàto, Jr., so she lived each day as if it would give her the chance to meet him. She went through a spell where she brushed her hair much more than usual and went crazy on skin creams. They were around eighteen at the time.

  That felt like forever ago.

  “I hope I bought the right cream. You never told me if the Dior moisturizer was better than Mulligan’s. I brought Dior because Mulligan’s still sounds like stew to me, and the cream was brown.” Chloe attempted a smile but failed when she looked at Taylor’s black-and-blue face covered in cuts and bruises, some of which still had dried blood.

  “I think of stew, too,” Kelly offered. She sat on the opposite side of the bed where Regina and Brian had been earlier when they arrived.

  Chloe begged them to take a break while she and Kelly waited with Taylor. Regina had looked worse than when she last saw her and Chloe felt she could use a break, some rest, and some decent food.

  It was nice to see Brian, and he offered that presence of reassurance he always had whenever she’d seen him. As he left with his arm around Regina, Chloe had thought they looked good together. She cursed herself after for thinking something like that at a time like this.

  They did, though, and Brian seemed to be what Regina needed. Chloe noted that this was the second time that she’d been here in the last 24 hours and hadn’t seen Ben Vanderville.

  She never liked to comment or make her opinions known, but sometimes she couldn’t help herself.

  “Where do you think Ben is?” Chloe whispered across to Kelly.

  Kelly shrugged. “The nurse mentioned something about him being here earlier. She said he wasn’t here long.”

  Well he came, that at least ticked the box for showing up, but what about staying? More and more, Chloe was verging onto the point of dislike for the man. She knew he was Wade and Taylor’s father, but her spirit just didn’t take to him. Her spirit nor instincts. She just didn’t understand the man, and she wondered what could be so pressing that he couldn’t have been here.

  Chloe sighed. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t anything to do with her and she wouldn’t make it her business. She was here, and everyone who loved Taylor had been here. That was the important thing.

  “Let’s just keep talking.” The nurses said talking helped. Talking to Taylor helped. Not for any length of time to wear her out but just long enough to keep her mind active. Chloe liked to think it was a way of helping Taylor find her way back to them. Of helping her mind to come out of the coma.

  Kelly nodded, wiped away a tear, and tucked her hair behind her ear. She then pulled in a breath and offered a small smile. “I think I may go out with Alex again,” she said to Taylor, then looked over at Chloe.

  This was what they would normally talk about when they were together. Guys, clothes, hair and makeup.

  “Really? He was quite dollsome.” Chloe smiled at her. Alex was the guy who was with Kelly at the club that night when Wade first kissed Chloe. “Taylor would definitely give her seal of approval.”

  Taylor would have liked Alex. She and Kelly had the same taste in men. Chloe supposed she did, too. Wade didn’t exactly look much different from the guys they liked, with his huge muscles and tattoos.

  “He asked me to go out again this Saturday. I thought I’d wear the baroque top.” Taylor got that top for Kelly in one of her travels. It was beautiful with its bright turquoise color and the specks of pink that was splashed across it.

  “That sounds great.” Chloe nodded.

  “Yeah…um, you know what sounded better?”

  “What?”

  “Hearing you and Wade say ‘I love you’ to each other.” Kelly smiled.

  Chloe’s cheeks warmed at the memory. Earlier when they’d been together it didn’t even cross her mind that Kelly was with them, and Wade definitely hadn’t been put off by her presence. He’d told Chloe he loved her and asked Kelly to make sure she got home and got some sleep. She wished he was here now.

  He’d looked so drained earlier and she hoped he’d gotten some sleep.

  “I’ll bet Taylor would have loved to hear that.” Kelly beamed.

  “You think so?”

  “Absolutely.” Kelly nodded. “Absolutely.”

  It was nice to hear, and nice to be distracted if only for a few seconds with talk of love. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. So, I guess I was right about him. Huh?”

  Chloe nodded. “Do you think it’s crazy that I love him?”

  “No, and I think you’ll be just fine. I’ll have to pull your pictures from the dating site, though.”

  “Yup. No more phone calls and messages for me. You could probably let up on offering me that awful tea too.”

  Kelly shook her head and smiled. “No chance of that.”

  There was a small tap at the door and she wondered who that could be. She hoped it was Wes. She’d sent him a message when she woke up and he’d called to ask if Taylor was okay. He wanted to come and see her but hadn’t wanted to impose on her and her family, but said he’d come when he thought it was appropriate.

  She understood. Wes had always been polite to Taylor but didn’t actually speak to her that much. He always looked like he wanted to, though, and say more than his standard hello and goodbye.

  “Come in,” she called out.

  As the door opened and Richard came in, Chloe’s temper flared and she stood up immediately. Her blood went from normal to boiling in nanoseconds and all the rage she felt last night washed over her body in ripples. She had to clench her fists to keep from screaming out.

  Kelly stood too, folding her arms across her chest and staring him head on.

  “What are you doing here?” Kelly asked. She had a fiery, angry look that was unfamiliar to her.

  “What kind of question is that? It’s Taylor. I’m here to see her.” Richard looked distraught and haggard. “Why didn’t anyone call me? I had to find out what happened from the news.”

  Chloe was wondering when the press would make their presence, but that wasn’t her worry right now. Richard was, Richard who put her friend here in this position because of his secrets and lies.

  “We saw you,” Chloe stated. He diverted his gaze from Kelly to her.

  “Saw me what?” He looked confused.

  “With your fa
mily at the mall. We saw you. Taylor saw you, too, with the woman who could be your wife, the newborn baby and the little boy. Of course it upset her to no end so she jumped in her car and drove away. This is what happened next.” Chloe pointed to Taylor’s still form.

  “No,” Richard said, looking distraught. His eyes misted. “No, please. This is my fault? I can explain,” he pleaded.

  “Look, I don’t think she’d want you here right now and we need her to hang on to whatever good she can so she can come back to us. So, please leave.” That was her trying to be civilized about the situation and not cause a scene.

  “It’s not what you think,” he attempted, but Chloe silenced him by raising her hand.

  She shook her head. “I’m sorry Richard, but I really don’t want to hear it. You don’t have to tell me anything. I asked you to leave. If you insist on staying and Wade or Regina comes in and finds you here, it won’t be pretty.”

  She could just imagine Wade punching him, or worse, and Regina would quite likely do the same.

  Richard sighed with frustration and stepped backwards. “Tell her I love her. Please. Things are complicated, but it was real.”

  As he moved away and left, Chloe shook her head again. There was no way in hell she was going to tell Taylor any such thing, and she wouldn’t allow him anywhere near her.

  “Unbelievable,” Kelly gasped and looked back to Taylor. “It’s because of him why she’s here.”

  “Yes.” Chloe wasn’t in the habit of blaming people for accidents like this. This was an accident that had happened separate to Richard, but it was fueled by him. By the pain he caused Taylor. When she left them she was in no state to drive properly, let alone concentrate.

  “What the hell could he have meant by it’s not what we think? What else are we supposed to think?”

  “I have no idea. It’s beyond me. Completely beyond me.”

  In her eyes, Richard was a truly awful man. One of the worst kind. The type that lived double lives and broke the trust, love, and respect of those around him who they manipulated. Last night Chloe had wanted to kick his ass, and she would have given it her best shot now if they weren’t here.