Ch. 22: From Australia, With Love

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Darcy's POV

        I hadn't smoked in more than fifteen years. Back then, I could have easily smoked a pack before the week's end and not thought anything of it. That was until I made the decision to be better than my father so I quit when I was about twenty years old. I realized that if I wanted to have wealth, power and influence, I had to make a few changes in my life, starting with a smoke free mindset. The thing was, I couldn't become what I had envisioned for myself while being dead or fighting a smoke related cancer. So I had to stop. It wasn't easy because I had picked up the nasty habit from my parents at a very young age, but I was able to conquer that demon.

         Yet here I was, standing alone on  a dimly lit balcony with a cigarette burning between my fingers while most of my friends were conversing and laughing with one another inside.

        I knew, the moment that I arrived in Alabama the night before and found my mother strung out on some shit, that I would be a horrible guest. I should have never come knowing that my mood would sour most of the evening, but I also knew that had to be there to celebrate Frederick's birthday. Even seeing my friend Wesley did very little to lighten my mood. Unfortunately for me, the phone call I received from Sarah, and having to force my mother into a rehab hadn't helped appease ny mood or the situation either. How the fuck would I get out of this mess with my family intact.

        I royally fucked up. I was fucked in many ways but now, I had to find a way to fix it. I had to before it got worse and nothing could be done to repair the damage I had created myself.

       The noise behind me from the balcony sliding door being opened was the only heads up needed to let me know that I wasn't alone anymore. I turned my head back in time to see Charlotte closing the door behind her. So quickly, I took the last drag of the cigarette before crushing it on the railing to put it out.

          "So we're making smoking a thing now?" Her words came out as a whisper as she hugged my back. There was no heat in her voice, only curiosity. I didn't blame her. To think of it, I didn't remember smoking anything other than a few cigars here and there in front of her or since we've been together at all.

        Then I remembered that she was pregnant which made me feel a hundred time worse as if I didn't feel shitty enough. How the fuck did forget that she was pregnant and that I shouldn't even smoke anywhere near her? Fuck!

        "Babe, I'm sorry." I turned around so that we could be face to face. She chuckled and kissed my chest, her hands tightly secured around me. The sweater she was wearing doing nothing to protect her from the chill of this mid October night as she trembled ever so slightly.

        "It's okay, I know the thing with your mother is taking a toll on you. But I'm sure she's going to be okay. It'll be hard at first but it'll get better because unfortunately it's not her first rodeo so at least we know she can do it." She said, a soft smile dancing on her lips as she looked up at me, her chin resting on my chest.

          How the fuck did I get so lucky? I didn't deserve her and once she realized that, she would leave me and that would be all that I deserved and that would only be fair. Didn't we all eventually have to face up to the consequences of our actions or lack thereof? I leaned slightly down and kissed her and as the kiss ended, a happy sigh came out of her and the smile displayed on her face was what I would never take for granted because that was love and it was all directed at me.

         "Come on, let's get you inside. We don't want you to catch a cold." I said and pushed off the railing, my arm around her shoulders, hers around my waist.

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        "It's always a pleasure to see you in town, Wesley." Charlotte beamed, her hand extended toward my good friend Wesley Reynolds for a hand shake but who instead pulled her in for a quick hug. She chuckled but otherwise hugged him back then whispered something in his ear that made him burst out laughing as they separated.

         So I stood there watching silently, hands securely tucked into my pockets, trying hard to stay in the now instead of letting my mind wander back to the thought that not only I was fucked, and really a fucking pussy,  but also that I really didn't deserve her. "Next time, don't wait too long to show your face again." She added humorously as her eyes traveled to the woman he had shown up with to Frederick's birthday, Something we all expected to happen.

           Charlotte stepped back to move out of the way so that I could say goodbye to my friend as she politely, with a smile, shook the hand of the beautiful woman he had come with.

       Wesley and I have been friends almost as long as Frederick and I have been. But while I had met Frederick my first year of undergrad at Princeton, I had met Wesley, Ace, and J.R in my senior year when they all drove from Comlombia to Princeton to find me fucking Wesley's girlfriend at the time. Things escalated from there, a fight that I wasn't proud of, broke and Frederick was the one who had to step in so that it wouldn't go any further than a few punches thrown each way. We all became friends after that, though much later.

      Though I didn't see them nearly as much as I saw Frederick due to the fact that he and I live in the same city while Wesley and Ace lived in Canada more times than not, and J.R, though he also lived in New York, was mostly always gone, just like I was before I settled with Charlotte, J.R has always preferred spending a lot of his time in England, mostly because the majority of his family still resided there.

         Wesley and I hugged and while I patted his back which some would call a man-hug, I whispered in a joking manner, "hope you this one sticks around for more than a month this time around?" His billowy laugh resonated in the room as we parted. I shook my head.

         Wesley reminded me a lot of the old me and that wasn't always a good thing. While he was an amazing friend, the way he couldn't settle on a woman reflected the Darcy that I was only a few years ago. And though I had tried my best to be different for the sake of my relationship, my past was now coming to haunt me.

        "You know, I always thought Charlotte would end up leaving your ass and having a baby by me." He laughed and though I knew it was only a joke, it hit a nerve. Deservedly so.

         "You'll be missed at your own funerals." I replied which got a louder laugh out of him. Charlotte simply shook her head as we bid goodbye to the rest of the people in attendance and I carried a sleeping Sebastian out to the SUV.

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          Mistakes are made to be learned from and hopefully not be repeated. Mistakes also have to be fixed. One can never live a happy life while never addressing their mistakes. I was certain I've heard that somewhere and though it took me awhile to come to terms with my own mistakes, I had to fix them.

         A soft knock on my office door before it was slightly opened, my secretary's head poking through a second later.

           "Darcy, Sarah Lane is here for your 10 o'clock appointment."

           "Let her in."

           I got up and moved around my desk to greet Sarah when the door opened wider and a tiny human with hair as dark as mine and eyes as blue as mine, all but ran in. I stopped dead in my tracks and stared, mind blank, unable to think of something to say or do. My eyes glued to the child who now stood in front of me and stared up into my eyes.

         "Hello, James, meet your daughter, Ella Paisley Darcy."

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I got a new book called, "Summer Like Gold" check it out on my profile!

Aaaahhhh guys! I'm so excited!!! Hope you enjoy. Don't forget to vote. What should Charlotte do?

Love always,

Lili ❤

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