Crown's Chance at Love (51 page)

He had said he would take care of picking up the jerseys, and he hadn’t because, well he had ended us. Once I finally found the correct jerseys in the right sizes, I decided to take the rest of the day. I left work early and helped Penny get ready for her recital, treating her out to get her nails painted and hair done. It had been fun.

***

I breathe in deeply as I look at Nick and the boys, smiling at how handsome all three look in their suits as we find seats in the auditorium of the Pasadena Performing Arts Center. Mark gets up to take Chris to the bathroom and Nick and I are left alone sitting down watching everyone get comfortable around us.

“So we going to talk about it?” he asks as he looks at me and I look at him and I sigh.

I knew it was coming. I knew he was giving me my space yesterday when we watched TV and ate ice cream on the couch once I got home from work as I told him about my job offer.

“Not if we don’t have to,” I say trying to avoid a conversation about Mike.

“They know something is up, you know that right?” he asks with a scowl on his face.

Nick was mad. I wasn’t sure if he was mad at me or at Mike, but an unhappy Nick is a difficult Nick to deal with.

I look at the curtain move and I see Penny’s face peek through searching around as she frowns.

“She’s looking for him. She said he promised her he would be here,” Nick says raising an eyebrow at me.

“He won’t be here Nick,” I sigh. ” Look,” I start to say as I look at Nick’s handsome face, “It’s over. It wasn’t going to work out, simple as that. I know I have to tell the kids. I am planning on talking to them…” he frowns as his hand covers mine.

“What happened?” he asks and I lean my head on his shoulder.

“Nothing… it just wasn’t going to work out, it’s better this way,” I mumble out trying not to let myself cry.

“Was it your choice?” he asks and when I don’t say anything he shifts so that I lift my head off his shoulder and look at him. “Sabrina… did you end it?”

I shake my head and look away because I feel the tears about to come pouring down.
So much for day five being good,
I think to myself. I feel him squeeze my hand; it was his way of trying to show me his support.

“That guy’s a bigger fucking idiot that I thought,” I hear him say as we see the boys come back and sit down.

He acts like nothing is wrong, but I see Mark frown and I can feel anger radiating off of Nick. I had enough men in my life, two little mini alpha males in the making and an alpha male as a best friend, I have no idea what I was thinking getting involved with Mike. But even with all the hurt and pain that had been in my heart these last five days, I couldn’t manage to even think about regretting what we had shared these last five months.

Penny danced beautifully and her solo went off without a hitch. She was so graceful and practically floated on stage. At the end of the performance she looks up and smiles brightly as she bows, her eyes looking out to the far end of the auditorium. I look back but it is so crowded I can’t see anything. My silly little heart had almost thought that maybe Mike had kept his promise of being here.

I knew Sean would have adored seeing his little girl up there, but I knew, in a way, he had. I was so proud of my girl. I knew by the look on her face that she was a little sad that Mike hadn’t been there, as she tries to make the best out of the boys and Nick fawning over her. She even blushes when we hand her a bouquet of pink roses.

But it was in her eyes and the way they roamed the room that made me so angry at Michael Crown. At him and at myself. I should have known better. Penny had been hoping he was there. She didn’t ask about him, neither of the boys had either. If I ever dated again, I knew I wouldn’t be introducing them to anyone until I knew for sure it was something stable. Something real.
You thought it had been
, I thought and sighed.

Afterward, Nick took us to dinner and ice cream. He stayed at the house in the guest room like he always did when he was in town. I was utterly thankful for my best friend.

***

Mike

I stood in the back of the auditorium in a dark corner. Luckily since I had gotten there late, I didn’t look like a creepy man in the corner. The auditorium is full of families, and I spot her quickly in the seats. Sabrina is sitting next to Nick and they are talking. My arms ache to get close enough to touch her, hold her, to caress her wrists. I want her to look at me. I want to go over there and beg her to forgive me. But I won’t.

She looks so beautiful, my eyes hurt to look at her. Her dark hair is up in a pretty high ponytail, her bangs swooping to one side. She is wearing a pretty bright blue dress, with little cap sleeves, and if I knew her like I knew I did, she is probably wearing some hot heels. She is visibly upset as she sits and talks to Nick, then leans into him, her head falling on his shoulder. Something in me wants to beat the shit out of him for touching her. He says something and she smiles. My heart hurts wishing I was the one making her smile. Why hadn’t I just told her how I felt?
Because you aren’t good enough for her, she would figure that out sooner or later.

Penny keeps looking out to the crowd and frowning. She’s looking for me. I had promised her I’d be here to see her dance. To her she would think that I broke my promise. I hadn’t planned on coming tonight, but I couldn’t seem to stay away. My eyes got teary as I watched her dance. She had such a natural talent, graceful and light footed, almost floating on stage. Her solo had gone off without a hitch, and I couldn’t have been prouder, not even if she was my own flesh and blood. As it ended I almost thought she saw me when she smiled brightly as she took a bow. I doubt she did. I left right after her performance avoiding bumping into any of them. It would be better if they thought I was a complete selfish bastard.

Sabrina

Holly’s home is beautiful. It’s a huge Mediterranean style home in the Hollywood Hills that’s in a gated community. For all I know Brad Pitt could totally be her neighbor. The kids are all swimming and having fun, and I am with her and a few of the wives from employees of Robert and this Tony guy’s company. They are all excited about the press junket for the new movie, that I find out not only has Chris Evans in it, but also Channing Tatum. Everyone is very nice and friendly, and I feel like I fit right in. It is nice to make new friends.

I’m sitting at a table facing towards the pool when I see the cutest little girl, maybe about four or five years old run over and hug Holly. She has little curly brown pigtails, and is all ready for the pool in a pretty ladybug swimsuit. Just as she leaves Holly’s embrace, Holly turns and the little girl  immediately runs over and jumps into the pool. I stand, my stomach plummeting to the floor, about to jump in after her. She comes up and is swimming like a fish and I put my hand at my chest.

“She freaks me out when she does that too, and I know what a good swimmer she is,” a deep voice says behind me.

I turn to face one of the sexiest men I have ever seen. He is around my age, maybe a couple of  years younger. I am almost sure his face would be in the dictionary next to tall, dark, and handsome. I must look like an idiot silently drooling over him.

“Hi, Tony Garibaldi,” he says smiling. Holy shit if this hot Adonis of a man did not just get hotter… right there by the sides of his lips ON BOTH sides were the cutest little dimples.

“Hi, umm Sabrina Miller,” I say smiling as we shake hands.

“Thanks for being ready to jump in for her,” he says his gaze going towards the pool. The little girl is now talking to Chris over in the shallow end of the pool.

“Should I be worried about that kids intentions?” he says in a dramatic over protective fashion and I laugh.

“I think you are safe… in ten years I don’t think we will be okay with them in a pool that close together, but for now it’s safe,” I say smiling, turning to face him. I see him frown.

“Sabrina Miller… why does the name sound familiar? I’m usually great with names,” he asks as we sit down next to each other and I look up to look for Holly, which has mysteriously disappeared.

“I’m planning the Breast Cancer Gala. I was brought in to charm the pants off of you so you buy a table,” I say without thinking, closing my eyes.

Great now he probably thinks I am hitting on him,
practical me says.
THANK GOD lets totally take his pants off!
The bad girl argues back. I open my eyes and his warm brown eyes are smiling at me.

“You have to buy me dinner first,” he says and winks at me, and we both laugh. “No I am sure I have heard your name somewhere else,” he says with a smile that reaches his eyes and that’s when I see it. He gets serious.

“Patrick,” he whispers and I look away, watching the kids splash around.

Being reminded of the accident and of how some drunk kid killed my husband wasn’t my favorite past time. I looked towards the pool glad I am wearing my sunglasses.

“Yup, that’s me,” I say finally taking a gulp out of the margarita that Holly had made for me, one that I had been nursing for about thirty minutes. His hand covers mine.

“Hey I am sorry, I didn’t mean to open my huge mouth and bring up bad shit.” I look at him and smile.

“It’s fine. It’s been a while since it happened.”

“Yeah Rob told me. Okay can we start over? I feel like a complete ass, dredging that stuff up.”

“Sure. So how old is she?” I ask looking at the kids swim.

“Five and I am guessing the boy is yours?”

“Yes that little guy is Chris, he is six. The girl next to him is Penny, she’s nine, and the older boy in the deep end is Mark, thirteen.”

He looks at me, his eyes grazing over my body, and I am pretty sure I feel a little warmer at the obvious way he is checking me out.

“You have three kids?” he asks sounding completely surprised and I nod trying not to smile, “How is that possible? Did you start at like sixteen?” I decide I should have a little fun and sigh.

“It was actually fifteen,” I say trying to stay as serious as I can, and I see his eyes open wide.

“Oh wow. I’m sorry… not that there is anything wrong with…” he starts to stutter out and I can’t hold it any longer and laugh shaking my head.

“I’m kidding. I was married at twenty-three and we had Mark the next year,” I say smiling big and he starts to laugh shaking his head.

“You had me going there… wait your thirty-six?” I nod my head.

“Huh,” he says almost to himself.

“What? Do I look older than thirty-six?” I ask feeling a bit self-conscious.

“No not at all, I thought you were like mid-twenties. That was why I didn’t believe it was possible you had three kids.”

“And here I thought I was the one who was trying to charm the pants off of you?” I say smiling, surprising myself at how I’m flirting with him and he laughs.

We talk and eat. Holly and Robert were the best hosts. Everyone is laughing, eating, and drinking. By the end of the night, Tony agrees to their production company buying a table, and I’m completely ecstatic at the thought of the Gala being completely sold out.

Sophie, his daughter and Chris hit it off and we had even set up a playdate for them the following Saturday at my house.

***

Mike

I drive up to Holly’s Saturday and start to walk in from the back gate to go straight to the backyard. That’s when I see her. She is standing looking at the pool as a little girl jumps into the pool and my heart even stands still as I watch her almost jump in after her. I see her face relax as the little girl is swimming like a fish towards the shallow end of the pool. She looks behind her and there is fucking Anthony Garibaldi, Roberts’s damn business partner and best friend, grinning at her like an idiot. Her hands are in his and damn it to hell if I don’t want to rush over and pull him away from her.

I watch Robert walk towards me grinning like an idiot. I should have known Holly and him were up to something.

“Hey Mike, they look good together don’t they?” he says standing next to me as we stare on.