Chapter 43: Chapter 8: Broken Agreement

Jamie

A bottle of champagne was chilling in an ice bucket on the table to the side. Two crystal flute glasses stood pretty beside it. One glass was completely empty, while the other was still untouched.

Two in the afternoon was too early for me, but Carmen, on the other hand…well, she was never one to turn down free champagne—or anything free for that matter.

Being the center of attention, Carmen was in her element, which is exactly how it should be for any bride-to-be.

I hooked the final satin button on the back of her lace and tulle dress.

I felt greatly honored to be by Carmen’s side, to be present at every dress fitting, to search every store in the city of New York just to find the perfect pair of shoes to match her perfect dress.

Most importantly, to be by her side through all those months of planning her perfect day.

All those months, I’d been hanging on her every word, not once disagreeing with her, not even when it came to her choice of groom.

That’s what a good maid of honor would do. That’s what she would do for me.

Carmen released a breath and looked at herself in the mirror. I knew that look on her face all too well. It was one that I had seen at every appointment at the bridal boutique.

“So, how do I look, Jamie? Honest opinion.”

I stood behind Carmen slightly, looking at her in the mirror. “You look amazing.” I smiled at her, absolutely gleaming with happiness.

“The dress…” She paused, then turned around and looked at me. The size of her skirt left little space in the fitting room. “You don’t think it’s too much?”

I shook my head. “No, it’s perfect, honestly.”

The dress wasn’t one that I would’ve chosen. I’d always imagined myself in something long-sleeved and lace. But that being said, it was a beautiful dress, and she looked beautiful in it.

“You look beautiful! I hope Brent knows how lucky he is.”

“He does.” Carmen smiled, but I had a feeling that she was mustering it for my benefit.

~I wonder if there is trouble in paradise.~

She turned around and looked in the mirror again, giving her hair a flip over her right shoulder.

“I need to make a good impression on Brent’s parents. Everything needs to be absolutely perfect.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I can’t believe you still haven’t met them. They’re your future in-laws. What if you don’t get along?”

Carmen gave a slight shrug of her shoulder. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll just have to pray that they’ll love me as much as Brent does. I mean, what’s not to love?”

She threw me a wink in the mirror.

I chuckled at her comment and placed a piece of statement jewelry around her neck. “All right, hold still while I clasp this.”

I clasped the diamond necklace, thinking back to the day she bought it.

A fight with Brent was what had brought on her over-the-top purchase. The necklace had cost her a month’s salary, which was why Carmen would take any opportunity to wear it.

The diamonds were a way of making herself feel good after he’d made her feel worthless. To me, they were just a reminder of what an asshole he could be.

I gave Carmen a smile. “Now you’re perfect.”

“I can’t believe I’m getting married in a couple of weeks.”

Carmen turned around and pulled me into an embrace. “I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have your help with everything. I know I’ve been a total bridezilla.”

“Oh, just a little bit,” I replied, and she pulled back from the hug with a smirk, knowing that I was joking. “I love you anyway, you know that.”

While Carmen checked out her figure in the mirror, I took the opportunity to check my phone for messages. Mason had Penelope for the first time on his own, so I’d been a little anxious.

No messages, no calls. I’d called him to check in when we’d arrived at the dress fitting, but I hadn’t gotten an answer. It had been over an hour since then.

~Is he ignoring me? Is he trying to cause me to worry on purpose?~

“What’s wrong?” Carmen asked, knowing well that something was up by looking at my face.

“It’s Mason’s first time taking care of Penelope alone, and he’s not answering my calls. I should be worried, shouldn’t I?” I started tapping my screen in frustration.

“I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. Maybe he’s just busy changing her diaper or something,” Carmen replied, trying but failing to ease my worry.

“For over an hour.” I sighed loudly. “Maybe ignoring me is his way of getting me back for all the times I’ve ignored him. I’m going over there.”

“Over where?”

“To Harry’s. Part of our agreement was that Mason would take care of Penelope at his dad’s home and not a hotel room.” I picked up my bag and got ready to leave.

“Keep me updated.”

“I will.” I walked out of the dressing room and quickly poked my head back in. “You’re okay getting out of that dress, right?”

“Sure. Don’t worry about me. I’ll see you later for drinks, hon.”

At this point, Friday night drinks at Lacey’s were the last thing on my mind. I was so pissed. I just wanted to get my baby and take her home where she would be safe.

All the while driving toward Harry’s house, my grip was tight on the steering wheel, and my bottom lip was sore from gnawing on it with worry.

~Relax, Jamie! You don’t need to go batshit crazy.~ ~That won’t help the situation. Although Mason Knight deserves every ounce of anger I have for him, let’s be real here.~

I inhaled and then exhaled, trying to relax before pulling into the driveway. “Deep breaths!”

I knocked on the front door and waited. It felt weird to me because it wasn’t something I usually did, knocking on Harry’s door.

We’d become close enough that knocking wasn’t needed. Walking in was for family, and to him, I was.

Mason was back now, and things were a little weird. I was sure it would be a little weird to him if I just walked into his dad’s house. I mean, I couldn’t even survive a ten-minute conversation with the man.

The door opened to Harry on the other side, looking surprised to see me. “Jamie, you know you don’t have to knock. Come on in.”

He walked ahead of me, and I followed behind him down the hallway toward the kitchen. “I was just about to make a coffee. Do you want one?”

“No, thanks.” I looked around the kitchen and what view I had of the downstairs from where I stood. “Where is Penelope?”

“They were gone when I got back from my meeting.” Harry proceeded to make his coffee in his fancy state-of-the-art coffee machine like there was nothing to worry about.

Maybe to him, there wasn’t, but to me, there was.

I pulled out my phone and dialed his number, but again it went straight to voicemail.

“I can’t believe this.”

“I know my son is new to being a father, but I’m sure there is nothing to worry about. He might have brought her to the park or something like that.”

Or something! Maybe he’d decided to leave again, only this time he thought he’d take my daughter with him. That’s where my mind was at.

“It would help if he would answer his phone. I told him not to take her anywhere. What if…”

I stopped before saying any more and sighed in exasperation.

~What if he’s taken off with her? She’s all I have.~

It took a text message from an employee at the Ritz for me to find out where Mason had taken my daughter. I walked up the hallway and knocked on his hotel suite door, seething with anger.

The door opened, and I immediately wanted to punch his face when I saw him. What an arrogant ass.

“Jamie, what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to take Penelope home.” I walked past him into the hotel suite, which, of course, was the biggest and most expensive in the entire hotel. Only the best for Mason Knight!

“You’re upset?” he asked as he followed me into the luxury living area.

“Of course I’m upset. You have my daughter, and you don’t answer the phone when I call. How do you expect me to react? I was worried.”

I remained calm, with a hint of attitude in my voice.

“She’s my daughter too, Jamie. Stop acting like I’m just a phase in her life. I’m her father.”

But he had missed the first most important months of her life. Yes, she was part his, but he needed to earn the right to be called a father, in her eyes and in mine.

I folded my arms across my chest. “We made an agreement that you would stay at the house where it’s familiar. How can you expect me to trust you when you go back on your word?”

Of course, I knew that it wasn’t always going to be what I say goes. This was the first time Penelope was alone with him. If she got upset, I wanted her to be somewhere familiar to her.

“I’m just going to take her home. Where is she?” I asked.

“Napping in the bedroom.” He pointed toward the open bedroom door, and I walked that way.

“I still have an hour left with her, Jamie.”

As I walked toward the bedroom, the door to the bathroom off the living area opened, taking me by surprise.

Out walked a tall blonde seconds later.

The woman was dressed in a knee-length, tight-fitting black number. She stood in a pair of black patent leather heels that elongated her long legs even more. Totally his type.

~I can’t believe him!~

I turned my head and looked at him, not saying a word but silently hating him. Clearly, he hadn’t changed one bit.

Mason braced a hand on his hip. “I can explain. This isn’t what it looks like.”

I turned my back to him and walked into the bedroom. Penelope was still resting peacefully in her new stroller that Mason had bought a day earlier.

When I walked back out of the room with the baby in my arms, the blonde woman was gone.

Mason was walking back from the door of the hotel suite.

“That woman... it was to do with work, that’s all. Penelope was asleep the entire time.”

“I trusted you with her, and this is what you do, bringing strange women around my daughter. You really haven’t changed at all.” I walked toward the door, holding a sleeping Penelope.

I was angry, the type of anger that only he could bring out in me.

He told me that it was work-related, but I didn’t know if I could trust his word. After all, the last time I’d trusted Mason Knight, he’d left me alone and pregnant with his baby.