PRINCE CHARMING: A Stepbrother Secret Baby Romance(92)

“Do what?” Willow asked, but before Claire could hear the response, she heard loud pounding on her door.

“Claire, if you don’t open this door I am going to break it down!” Amy yelled. “And you know I will!”

Claire reluctantly opened the door and Amy walked in. Without a word, she walked to the patio doors, pulled the curtains back, and let some sunlight in. “Okay, this has gone on long enough. I know you are hurting, but this isn’t doing you any good. Get up, take a shower, and let’s go somewhere fun.

Willow smiled sadly at her daughter. “Amy’s right. As bad as this may sound now, Trent has probably moved on while you hide out in your room and rot. I know it’s hard but you need to keep moving forward.”

“I’d rather not,” Claire said, her voice full of sorrow.

“So you want to spend the rest of your days off from work like this?”

Claire looked at her mother with hollow eyes. “What do you suggest I do, Mom? Go out and party like nothing happened?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying you need to pick up the pieces and get yourself together. This isn’t doing you any good.”

“Wait, I have an idea,” Amy said as her face lit up. “I think you should go to St. Lucia.”

Claire looked at her like she was crazy. “You want me to go on my honeymoon by myself?”

“Yes, except you wouldn’t be by yourself. The three of us could go. St. Lucia is a beautiful place, and it will be good for you to get away.”

“That’s an excellent idea, Amy,” Willow said. “And Claire, you have no excuse. Your reservation is still active. Amy and I will get our own rooms if you want privacy.”

“Mom, I can’t…”

“Claire, this is not up for discussion. Now, pack your bags and get ready. We leave in the morning.” Willow walked out of the room, leaving Claire with no choice.

“I don’t want to go,” Claire said after her mother had gone.

“You heard your mom. You know she’ll make you do it,” Amy said as she sat next to her on the bed. “I promise you’ll love it. Besides, I’ll be there to hang out with you.”

“Yeah, right! You’ll leave all those men on the beach to come hang out with me? Do you think I believe you?”

“Claire, just do as your mom says, please,” Amy said, heading toward the door. “I promise it’ll be fun.”

Long after the two had gone, Claire sat alone in her room, picturing Trent in bed with the other woman, laughing and pretending she didn’t exist. She tossed the covers back, and with anger bubbling inside her, she yanked the suitcase from the closet and started packing. Damn it, she was going to St. Lucia without Trent. Fuck him!





CHAPTER 3


It was an exciting moment for two out of the three passengers in the cab that drove along the interstate to the airport that evening. Claire stared as the outside world raced by, her thoughts doing the opposite, remaining fixated on one event.

“I bet you will love it in St. Lucia,” Willow said as she playfully poked her daughter’s ribs.

“Come on, Claire,” Amy nudged. “Blue skies, white sandy beaches, crystal clear water. That’s got to put a smile on your face.”

Claire looked at the girl with a blank expression. “Perhaps.” It was hard to imagine anything fun when hurt weighed on her like an anchor. Her entire life was drifting by, and as far as she was concerned, she was just floating into oblivion.

The other women temporarily gave up any attempt at lightening Claire’s mood. They reached the airport and wheeled their luggage sets from the car. Luckily, the airport wasn’t crowded. They quickly checked their luggage and joined the other passengers as they waited for boarding.

Claire had the window seat once inside the plane, and she stared endlessly through its crystal partition, taking account of every cloud that passed. Amy had the seat next to her, and Willow had the aisle seat. Willow was busy doing a crossword puzzle, and Amy struggled to find something to watch on the small rectangular monitor in front of her.

“I don’t get it,” Claire said, to no one or to them both.

“That’s how these things operate,” Amy said as she continued pressing the control on her armrest. Then she looked over at Claire and realized she wasn’t looking at the television. “Oh, did you mean something else? What don’t you get?”

“Trent and I have been together for three years. Why would he do this now?”

“Men sometimes do stupid things, Claire. Chalk it up to that. It has nothing to do with you,” Amy told her.

“Yeah, but what if I drove him away? What if he was with that woman because she was sleeping with him?” She had guilt in her eyes, and she looked pleadingly at Amy. “Maybe I shouldn’t have been a prude.”

“That’s nonsense,” Willow intervened. “You did nothing wrong by waiting to marry him before having sex with him, or any other man, for that matter. A good man would have appreciated that.”

“Still, it could have been the reason. Men are more physical than women,” Claire defended. She wanted that to be the reason; nothing else made sense to her.

“If that was the reason, he wouldn’t have waited so long,” Amy told her.