Gold (All that Glitters #2)(73)

As she staggered out of the ballroom to pack for her journey back to Los Angeles, she wished that she could have been that person for him. But once again, she found it was all one big lie.

AFTER SIXTEEN HOURS IN FLIGHT and three layovers, Bryna finally landed at LAX. She was exhausted and probably needed to sleep for a week straight, but she was home. The crisp Los Angeles air hit her full-on, and she soaked in the warm early morning sunshine.

Home.

A cab drove her through the insufferable traffic that she definitely hadn’t missed and straight to the hospital. She had no idea what she looked like. She was carting around her carry-on, and she felt totally run-down. The only good thing about all of this was that she had mailed the rest of her luggage to her parent’s house, so she wouldn’t have to deal with it.

A nurse directed her to the hallway where Celia’s room was. Bryna’s father was standing in the waiting room. The twins, Lacey and Kacey, were sprawled out on sofas. One was reading on a Kindle while the other played video games. Both were completely checked out.

“Hey, sweetheart,” her father said.

She fell into his arms, and he hugged her tightly against him. For a split second, she felt like a kid again. Her daddy could fix anything. He could make the hurt go away. She had always been a daddy’s girl.

He kissed the top of her head. “It’s good to have you home.”

“It’s good to be home,” she said.

Her dad stepped back and smiled down at her. “Celia’s excited for you to meet your sister.”

Bryna’s hands were sweating. Through all of this, she had tried not to think about what exactly she was coming home to. She knew nothing about babies. Growing up, she hadn’t had a younger sibling. She didn’t know anyone who had been pregnant where she would have to be around a baby. The whole thing made her anxious.

“Don’t worry. You’ll be fine,” he said, as if reading her mind. “There were some complications at first, but everything is okay now. Go on in and see them while they’re both still awake.”

“All right,” Bryna said.

She was resolved to do this. She took a deep breath and then entered the hospital room. Celia was lying in bed. She looked exhausted, but she was holding on to a small bundle in her arms and didn’t even seem to notice her own fatigue.

“Bryna.” Celia looked up at her with a wide smile. “I’m so glad you came.”

Bryna shrugged uncomfortably. “Dad said there were problems?”

“I’m almost forty. It was expected. What’s important is you meeting your new sister.”

Celia offered Bryna the baby. She noticed how nervous Bryna was and showed her how to cradle the baby in her arms. Bryna was still shaking and freaked out, but she wasn’t going to drop her. The baby was so little. That would do some serious damage.

“What’s her name?” Bryna asked.

“Zoe Ava.”

“Hi, Zoe,” Bryna cooed.

Shit. She did not just f*cking coo at a baby. Who the hell is this person inhabiting my body?

“You’re such a little thing,” she said to Zoe.

Celia laughed. “She’s actually perfectly healthy. Seven pounds and three ounces. Simply beautiful.”

“Fatty,” Bryna joked.

Zoe stared intently back up at her.

Celia shook her head. “She likes you.”

“She’d better,” Bryna said, not taking her eyes off of the baby. “I’m awesome.”

Celia laughed again. “You’re good with her. I knew you would be.”

“I don’t like babies,” Bryna said to Zoe. “But you’re family now. I guess I can’t let you turn out like the rest of them.” Bryna frowned at her own joke. She had wanted it to be funny, but all things considered, it wasn’t even true. “On second thought, we should get you a nanny who speaks a couple of languages. Then, you can talk circles around your mom and dad and turn out better than all of us.”

Celia’s eyebrows drew together. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted.

“I know we haven’t gotten along in the past, and I pushed you too hard to try to be a family. But I truly only wanted the best for you. It might not seem like much, but I want to be family for you, and that doesn’t mean anything more than this right here, if you don’t want anything more. Know you are always free to talk to me…maybe just as a friend, if that’s easier.”

Bryna didn’t take her eyes off of Zoe. She couldn’t look up at Celia with all of her sincerity. This was the woman who had ruined her life and wrecked her parents’ marriage. Bryna was here for the baby. Yet Celia had sounded so heartfelt.

Zoe fussed, and Celia held her hands out to take her from Bryna. Once she was cuddled back against her mom, Bryna took a deep breath and sat down on the chair next to the bed.

“Tell me what happened with my dad. I only know the aftermath. Divorce, and boom, new mommy.”

“Oh, Bryna,” Celia said with so much sympathy in her eyes that Bryna had to look away.

“I need to know the truth.”

“I met Lawrence on set. I was working for a production company at the time. It was a coincidence that we ran into each other. Everyone was afraid of him so I ended up bringing a lot of stuff to him. I was doing errands that were a bit beneath me actually,” she said, remembering the incident with a smile. “I was there the day Olivia served him divorce papers. He made everyone else go home, but I didn’t know until it was too late. I’d been there myself, and I couldn’t leave him. So, I offered to take him to lunch. In a million years, I never thought it would lead to this,” she told Bryna.