ESTELLE
The shoot for the upcoming campaign started. We took models of different colors, sizes, races, and gender because I always believed in diversity, that women and trans were beautiful and had a place in this world.
I had lunch with Willa, Micah, and my mom during the break. Willa was so friendly and got along with Mom pretty quickly.
When we came back to the gallery, they already started for the last part.
“Darling, can I borrow my daughter?”
“Of course, Mrs. Moore.”
“Just Deirdre, darling. I would look too old by Mrs. Moore.” Of course, she was joking.
“Where are we going?” I asked as she dragged me out of the gallery.
“Once the shoot is done, the staff will return to the office. I really love the new collections. I can already see them sold out.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mom. I wish the launch would go smoothly. I don’t want surprises and disasters. The only surprise I want is how the customers and fans positively react to the products they love.”
We entered the well-known luxury brand, and I checked the new coat. I like the cut and the color.
“Do you like it?”
“Yeah, but we’re not here to shop, ma’am. So tell me, why did you drag me in the middle of the shoot?”
“You don’t have to be there, but I know how hands-on you are. How far are you, honey?”
I froze. I felt like she just threw a bucket of ice water into me. “What?”
“Honey, I’m your mother. I was once pregnant with you, and I wasn’t sure when you walked in until now. You’re keeping it, right?”
I blinked off the tears, but it was too late.
Mom was already wiping them off my cheeks. “Hey. I had you when I was twenty-three. But look at you now. I had nothing at that time, and I kept fighting with your dad because he wasn’t ready, and I was on my pills, but he still blamed me as if I was the only one who wanted to have sex.”
The saleslady came. I took three scarves for Willa, Micha, and Mom. The coat was mine.
“I’ll take this and these scarves.” I breathed deeply before I spoke. “Are you disappointed with me?”
“Are you kidding me? I always wanted to see you getting married and help you take care of your kids, but definitely not Weston. Thank God. So is the father the one who rushed to your office to save you from Klayton?”
I nodded. “He doesn’t know.”
“What do you mean?” My mom was confused.
“I haven’t told him.”
“You two are together, and he hasn’t found it out. And why not tell him?” Mom was instantly angry and shocked at the same time.
“We didn’t plan this.”
“Do you think he will leave you when he finds out?” Her frown deepened.
“Oh, no. He will be thrilled, propose, and marry me right away.”
“He sounds like a great guy. I wanna meet him.”
“Of course you do.” I smiled as I tried to keep my hormones at bay.
“I guess you don’t have morning sickness. Are you seeing a doctor?”
“Yeah. I don’t know if he’s clueless or pretends he doesn’t know. I can’t tell him right now. He has a lot on his plate, but once it’s over, I have to, anyway. I can’t keep it any longer.”
Mom hugged me. “You’re going to be a great mom, honey, and he will be a great father. But I want you to get married before you have my first grandchild.”
“Mom?”
“You still have a few months to prepare. Tell him sooner, or I will.” My eyes widened. My jaw dropped as I shook my head.
“Mom? You’re kidding, right?”
“No.” One word— just one word, that was all it took for me to shut up, and her expression didn’t change. She was not joking right now.
My face fell. My stomach twisted. After paying for the things I bought, we returned to the gallery.
Before I entered, I held Mom’s hand. “I will tell him, I promise, but you can’t mention it to anyone, especially Willa.”
“Why?”
“It’s his sister.”
My mother’s eyes widened, and she smiled. “Oh, nice. I like her. So, she’s your future sister-in-law?”
“Mom, please?”
“Okay. Relax. Stress is not good for you.”
***
I stopped in the middle as I recognized that laugh. I wanted to be updated about Jasper’s case. That was why I came to Osmium, but I ended up being the one getting surprised.
“Welcome back, Ms. Bladwyn.” Hope smiled and pushed the door open for me to his office. My man sat at his desk while my mom was on the chair. I watched them laugh together.
“Hey, baby.” Linden came to me and hugged me. “I love your mom.”
“Hi. You have unwanted visitors.”
Mom stood up for cheek-kissing. “Hey, honey.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to visit your boyfriend. To my surprise, there are a lot of big yummy guys around here.”
“Mom, I pretend I didn’t hear you say that.” I couldn’t help but smile as I gestured to Linden, smiling at her. “I didn’t tell you where he works.”
“Internet, darling. And I’m the first person to see your post. So I followed him on Instagram.”
“We followed each other,” Linden confirmed it.
“So you got a new bestie?” I raised a brow at Linden, who never had been so amused. Then I looked at Mom. “You should try his omelet.”
“Then I will come to his house.”
“Mom?” My eyes widened. She never knew when to filter.
“I invited her already.”
“Wow. How long have you been here, Mom, and you already get invited?”
“I’m charming. Thirty minutes I think,” Mom said.
“Well, she’s more charming than Gustav.”
“You met her father?” Mom turned to Linden.
“Yeah. It’s a long story, but I think he hates my gut.”
“How? He won’t hate you if he sees your bank account. That’s what Gustav loves.”
“He doesn’t see me as equal.” Hearing that coming from Linden gave a twist to my stomach.
“Well, you’re not his equal. You excel in many things—in looks, power, money, and height.”
The last one cracked Linden up. “In money? Not even closed. He has loads of it.”
“I’m serious, Darling. He only thinks my daughter is made for Klayton. When the hell freezes over.” She rolled her eyes.
“It’s over now, Mom.”
“Thank God. Anyway, I just came here to meet him.” I held my breath when she turned to Linden and kissed him on the cheek. “I won’t forget the omelet, darling.”
I let go of a shuddering breath when she walked towards the door. “I’ll walk you out, Mom.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Before leaving, she had to say, “You have my blessings to marry my daughter, Gabe.”
“Jesus, Mom.” I was still glaring at the door, even if she was long gone. I couldn’t face Linden because I felt like my face was burning with embarrassment.
“Hey, it’s okay.”
“It’s not okay. She’s way out of line.”
He held my hips and forced me to face him. “Look at me.”
I shook my head. “Lately, I’m awfully embarrassed by my parents’ behavior.”
“Look at me, Estelle.”
When I got the courage, I looked at him. He was smiling, the kind of smile that melted my heart. “One day, you have to decide—”
“We’re not talking about it.” I quickly shut the topic off.
“I know you are not ready, but you have to know when you are, I will propose and ask you to be my wife. You know that I wanted to marry you from the first time we talked about marriage.”
“Are you sure I’m the one you want to marry?” I ignored the butterfly fluttering in my belly and faked my frown.
“Even if there are thousands of Estelle in another universe, I know my Estelle. I will marry that person without a hint of doubt.”
I looked down as I nodded. I couldn’t look at him anymore. This time it was not because I was embarrassed, but I was beyond happy that he hadn’t changed his mind.
“Say something.”
I shook my head again.
“It’s okay. I can wait.”
“I know.”
“Wait a sec. I’d love nothing to see you here, but why are you here? I’m kinda lost with the marriage thing and forgot to ask.”
“What is your plan with the address?”
“Shit. Have a seat, baby. Let me call someone from the FBI.” He went to his desk and dialed someone on his Phonebook. He then patted the desk for me to sit close to him.
When I went to him and crossed my legs, his eyes glinted as if he thought of something wild or mortifying. In my defense, he had a sturdy desk, and my mind went somewhere too. Maybe one day, he could bend me in his home office and do whatever pleased him. I felt his hand on my thigh, and nothing meaningful about it, and I placed my hand on top of his.
When the call was answered, he put it on speaker.
“This is twice in a month now, Linden,” the man from the other line said. I didn’t recognize that voice.
“Special Agent Miller, if you could arrange it, I need to talk to Hanslo.” Oh, so, an FBI Agent.
“I know what this call is about. Haven’t you found Jasper yet?”
“Before he left, he made sure he didn’t want to be found, but I have an idea where he could be, but before I go, I need to talk to Hanslo in person.”
“That can be arranged, but I might need something in return.”
“Of course you do.” he chuckled.
“I’ll inform you about your arrangement.”
“Thank you.” He hung up the call and pulled me into his lap.
“We can’t,” I quickly protested. I never said no to him regarding intimacy, but this was inappropriate, even if he was the boss around here.
“Just a kiss.” He cupped my head and tipped it to the right angle so that he could kiss me. The moment our lips touched, I felt it was perfect. We opened our mouths, and the light kiss turned deep and passionate. And at this moment, without a minuscule doubt, I knew I couldn’t live without this man.