Chapter 18

I don't know why I expected getting a good night's rest would make things better for me the next day. I stretched lazily in the plush king-sized bed. I must admit, sleeping somewhere else was a needed relief. No Royce to make me feel hurt or guilty, no worries about what will happen next and just being with my kids. I felt a familiar tug at my left breast and looked down to see Lily nursing quietly, her eyes were still closed but she twirled my blonde hair gently between her fingers. Peppa was still snuggled into the crook of my right arm fast asleep. I ran my fingers through their hairs, welcoming the familiar curly texture. How can the biggest problem mean nothing when my daughters are in my arms? It's the moments I feel like I'm about to lose it that they catch me right in time. Noticing that the sun was not up yet, I kissed the top of Lily's hair with a sigh and settled back into the pillows. When I awoke again the sun was beginning to rise, little streams of light peaked through the curtains on the tall windows. Lily and Peppa were both still asleep and I slowly adjusted my top. There was a low buzzing coming from the nightstand and I turned to see my cell phone ringing. I groaned and reached across Peppa to grab the phone silently. Noticing the name, I answered the phone softly.

"Hi mom." I whispered.

"Morning honey, I'm sorry, I thought you were already up?"

"It's okay, I soon have to get up anyways." I said.

"How did it go yesterday? I didn't hear from you, so I figured you were pretty busy."

"Ugh, I guess you can say that." I groaned.

"That doesn't sound very promising."

"Honestly, it wasn't how I expected. Not only did I meet Mason, I met his God awful family."

"It was that bad?" She asked worriedly.

"Mother, they accused me of being a lying gold digger with no conscience and no form of morals, so yes it was that bad."

"What?! That's horrible. Why would they do that? Do you need me to bring my foot?" She said.

"For what?"

"For their asses of course."

I smiled, "I wish."

"Given their status, I understand having doubts but being rude wasn't necessary."

"Exactly." I said.

Peppa twitched a little in her sleep and I gently rubbed her back to sooth her. "Did they at least ask for a DNA test?"

"Well it was mentioned but at that point I was fed up. I told Mason where we would be if he decided on it."

"Well I hope he takes you up on that offer."

"He looked pretty convinced, it was his parents and his girlfriend putting doubt in his head." I mumbled.

"Ava are you 100% sure that Mason is their father?"

I glared towards the phone, "Don't insult me mother." I said.

"I'm not honey, I just don't want you to give these people any more room to insult your character."

"They already did that so I'm not worried, okay. I only slept with Mason mom and the fact that he took the coat proved that it was his penthouse. I don't have a single doubt." I said.

"Good, then everything will work out just as it should. You've done your part so it's now up to him."

"Yea I know." I said.

"Where is Cat? Is she enjoying her stay?"

"Cat is in her master bedroom down the hall, probably still asleep. She was up most of the night drinking wine and relaxing in the hot tub." I said.

"Master bedroom, hot tub and wine? What kind of room are you guys in?"

"One of the penthouses." I smiled.

"Whaaatt? Caleb has you guys living like royalty, I'm worried I won't see you guys again."

"Well he has been a total gentleman I admit but we may probably leave tomorrow afternoon. I did what I had to do, and Caleb and I have a meeting with a potential author today so once that's done we'll have nothing left to do." I said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yea, I won't wait around for Mason to come to a decision. We all still have our lives to get back to."

"Okay sweetie. I can always trust you to do what's best."

"Really?" I asked.

I feel like I have to go to her to tell me the best thing to do. I always seem to mess things up. "Of course. I'll see you when you get back." She said.

Shortly after I ended the call with my mother, the girls began to stir. The odd thing about my girls is that they're so in sync, even when they were babies. If one wakes up, the other one does also. It is very rare for the girls to sleep or wake up separately and it was a challenge for me when they were first born. Peppa's head popped up first. She stretched slowly before her eyes found mines. Smiling, she crawled on top of me to lay on my chest. I kissed her forehead gently and held her close.

"Good morning sweetie." I said.

There was a soft knock at the bedroom door, Cat opened it and slowly poked her head inside.

"Morning." She said.

I smiled, "Hey morning."

"I was hoping you were awake." She said.

She slowly entered the room and sat on the bed. Like I expected, Lily eyes opened slowly. I rubbed her head gently as she stretched like a lazy cat.

"Morning sweetie number two." I laughed.

"What's on the agenda today?" Cat asked.

Lily moved to join her sister on my chest also. I sat up slightly so I could see past their heads. "Well, Caleb and I have a meeting this morning. After that I don't really plan on doing anything." I said.

"Are you going to reach out to Mason?"

"Not in the slightest." I said.

"Well I guess we can hang out around the hotel when you get back." She suggested.

"That's fine with me." I replied.

I noticed that it was 7:30 am and the meeting will be here at the hotel for nine. I sat up in the bed with the girls closed to my chest. "I have to start getting ready soon." I said.

"Are you eating?"

"Yea, pass the menu we can order room service."

Thirty minutes later we were sitting in the dining room area, eating our breakfast. Lily sat on my lap and Peppa was sitting with Cat. The food was delicious, and the girls fell in love with the hash browns. I made a note to make it for them when we got back home. Once we were done with breakfast, the last person I expected to video call did.

"Hey." I said.

"Hey." Royce answered.

His dark hair hung in front of his eyes and his eyes were nearly bloodshot. He looked exhausted.

"How are things?" He asked.

"They're okay.....considering. We plan to come back tomorrow." I said softly.

"Oh?"

"Yea, um are you okay?" I asked.

"Yea, I'm cool." He said unconvincing.

"Are you sure?"

"Um......where are the girls, can I see them?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Yea, sure. Lily, Peppa come here! Look who it is?" I called out.

The girls left Cat's side and came dashing towards me in the kitchen. I set my phone down so that I could lift them on the countertop. I held my phone up to them and watched their face lit up.

"Roy!!!"

"Hi Roy."

"Hi girls, I miss you so much." Royce said.

"Miss you." Peppa said.

"How are you?"

"Good!" Lily shouted with a giggle.

I watched as they talked to him for a few minutes. I'm glad that he set his pride aside for the girls. They don't deserve his anger, I do. I didn't know what to expect when we got home but hopefully, we can talk this through. After the call ended, I quickly got dressed for our little meeting. I wore a black pencil skirt with a simple pink blouse. Caleb texted where he would be and after kissing the girls, I made my way out our room. I met Caleb downstairs in the lobby heading for one of their offices. He looked sharp in a tan suit, his light brown hair combed and neat. I whistled behind him and he turned quickly, smiling as he stopped walking so I could catch up to him.

"Morning." He said.

"Morning."

"I thought I was going to have to wait on you." He laughed.

"Very funny. Cat is handling the girls." I said.

"Riight."

After walking and chatting for a moment we finally stopped in front of a tall mahogany door. Caleb pulled out a card key and opened the door revealing a large office. In the center of the floor was a large mahogany table that could probably hold up to twenty people. There was a large monitor that sat on the wall. Unlike a lot of the rooms in the hotel this room didn't have any windows, it was obviously meant for private meetings only. Caleb allowed me to enter first and followed, closing the heavy door behind him.

"This is where we are meeting her?" I asked.

"Yea, why?"

"Don't you think this was a little intimidating?"

"Intimidating how?" He asked, confused.

"Well it just looks like she's walking into a big board meeting with someone who wants to fire her." I shrugged.

Caleb looked around the room for a few seconds, probably trying to imagine the image I painted.

He shrugged, "this is why I wanted you here. This is the only room available right now."

"Well I'll do my best to make her feel comfortable." I said.

"Ok awesome." We moved to sit at the large table and made ourselves comfortable.

Caleb sat his briefcase on the desk gently and started to take out a few papers. Luckily, I travelled light, only needing my notepad and a pen. He pulled out a large photo and held it up to me. "Her name is Beverly Hollis, she's 31 years old and just graduated with a degree in English lit here in Seattle." He said.

I nodded and listened as he gave me a brief summary of his personal take with Beverly and from what I hear, her family is very important to her. She's a single mother of a five year old boy and life revolved around her son and parents, something I can relate to. "I think you should let her sit at the head of the table." I said pointing to where Caleb sat.

"Why?" He asked looking down confused.

"You want her to feel comfortable right and show her that she is in control of all of this? You can't make her feel intimidated, she is the asset here." I said.

Caleb looked at me thoughtfully, a small war going on in his head and I smiled. He always loved to be the center of attention and he loves feeling like the big man in charge. Before he had time to respond there was a soft knock at the door and we stood quickly. Caleb moved to the door and opened it with a polite smile. "Hello, Ms. Hollis, glad you can make it. Come right in." He said.

I watched as Bevelry entered the room cautiously and noticed her blue eyes widened a bit taking in the room. She was almost as short as me, plump and very beautiful. Her black hair was gathered into a neat ponytail showing off the dark purple highlights at the tips of her hair. She smiled shyly towards me and moved slowly towards the table. I stretched out my hand politely and when she placed her hand in mine, she confirmed what I expected. "Ms. Hollis, this is my assistant Ava Shawn." Caleb said.

"Pleasure to meet you." I said.

Once she released my hand, Caleb directed her to his seat at the head of the table and sat next to her, placing her in the middle of us. I nodded my head in approval and he rolled his eyes. The conversation started with Caleb stating all the books published under Reynolds Publishing, he spoke of its history and what he hopes to achieve if she decides to sign with us. The look on her face showed the doubt there. This was a new thing for her and it's obvious that she didn't want to make the wrong choice. Caleb was still discussing possibilities, but Beverly didn't look enthusiastic. I held up a finger towards Caleb receiving permission to intercede. He looked at me confused but nodded anyways.

"Ms. Hollis, may I ask what exactly are you looking for?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" She said.

"I mean, what do YOU want to achieve? What is it that you want?"

I gave her a moment to collect her thoughts, given that it was a loaded question. After a few moments she looked surer of her desires. "I want to write books, I want to bring joy from the ideas I have in my head, I want a better life for my son and I but I don't want the fame." She said.

Caleb looked confused, "Ms. Hollis, a bit of fame does come along with that." He said.

"I know I just never liked the idea of my son and I being in the public's eye. I do want to write and make money but not if it means scrutiny. Also, how am I to know I'm making the right choice?" She asked worriedly.

"Ms. Hollis I understand your fears because I have children." I said.

Her interest peaked, so I continued. "I have two little girls who mean the world to me and in a few weeks, they will be two years old. Nothing on this earth matters more than their happiness and their health. We are often faced with difficult decisions to make and it's hard to decide what the right thing to do is but, you have to have faith that no matter what choice you make, things will turn out okay."

I reached for her hand across the table gently. "I have been working for Mr. Reynolds for almost three years and it was the best decision I've ever made. He cares about all or his authors, employees, and he never takes advantage of them or abuses his power. I am only asking that you have faith that we can take you far as we can as an author. We won't ever lead you astray." I said.

"And the fame?" She whispered.

"Well, I'm sure we can all come up with a compromise." I looked towards Caleb for his input.

"She's right. We will run everything by you first and come up with different strategies to keep you and your family out of the public's eye while promoting your work. Although we can’t guarantee 100% immunity, we will do our best to make this transition easier. We won't put you out there like previous authors if you don't want to." He smiled reassuringly.

Bevelry nodded looking a lot more confident than when she first walked in. "When can I sign?" She asked.

Caleb's face broke into a wide grin. "I would like you to come down to Vancouver next week along with your Lawyer. Ava and I will come up with a few ideas to present to you and you will be able to sign then." He said.

"Okay, thank you for this opportunity." She said.

"No, thank you for trusting us." He replied.

We said our goodbyes and escorted Bevelry out of the room. Caleb closed the door and spun to me with a wide grin. He raised both of his hands and I did the same allowing our hands to connect making a loud clap.

"You did it!" Caleb said.

"No, we did it."

"Yea well I couldn't have done it without you, and you know it."

"Hmm maybe." I smirked.

"You were marvellous, you touched a nerve I would've never reached. I'm glad I decided to bring you along." He said.

I helped Caleb pack up his things and we quietly left the room. "Have you ever decided writing your own book?" Caleb asked randomly.

His question caught me off guard and it took me a moment to collect my thoughts. "Yes, yes I have. I mean it's basically the dream of every english major." I shrugged.

"You never mentioned it."

"Cause I didn't think it would matter."

"Of course it matters. I give all of my workers an equal opportunity to excel at whatever they wish to do."

"I know, but I don't think I'm ready." I said.

"Well, how about after everything is final with the contract, I let you be the editor for Beverly's book." He suggested.

I gasped and stopped mid-walk, "You'd let me do that?"

"Of course, I've seen what you can do Ava and I trust that this project could be very good for you. Maybe then, you can see just how ready you are." I released the breath I was holding and pulled Caleb into a hug quickly.

"Thank you, thank you so much." I said.

Caleb chuckled and returned the hug, "Not a problem."

"I won't let you down." I promised.

"You better not." He smirked. I waited for Caleb to return the key card to the front desk and we slowly made our way to the elevators. I looked at my watch noting it was just eleven o'clock. The meeting was a lot shorter than I expected. While riding in the elevator, Caleb cell started to buzz in his pocket. He pulled out the phone and gave me a sideways glance before answering it.

"Yea?" He said.

I watched as he listened to the person speaking for a moment before his eyes landed on me.

"What?" I asked quietly.

"Mason." He mouthed.

Although my heart did a little leap in my chest, I rolled my eyes out of annoyance. I was more annoyed over my heart's reaction though.

"Well maybe you should ask her for yourself." Caleb said.

Caleb swiped the card that allowed the elevator to go up to the more private floors and handed me his phone. I took it from him hesitantly before taking a deep breath.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Um, hey." Mason said.

If the sound of his name made my heart leap, his voice made my heart do a complete somersault. "Hey." I said.

"I was um...I was wondering if it's okay if we did a DNA test?" He asked hesitantly.

"I told you that I'm okay with it, I have nothing to hide." I said.

The elevator opened to my floor and Caleb and I stepped out. "Great, do you want to come by?" He asked.

"And subject my daughters to your family?" I said dryly.

Mason sighed, "Yea ok...well do you want to meet up?" He asked.

I hesitated and Caleb watched me closely. He was probably waiting for me to snap. The thing is, I'm not ready for the girls to meet Mason yet. I think it would be best for Mason to see them after it was proven that he's their father, that way meeting them would be more real. "Actually, I think it's best that you don't meet them until after the results." I said.

"But why?"

"I just don't want you to meet them with doubt. The first time you meet my girls, I want it to be the moment that you realize they're yours too." I said.

I listened as Mason breathed deeply into the phone, giving him time to collect his thoughts. "That's understandable." He said.

"Good."

"I can send someone over to the hotel, I trust them, and they are good at what they do. They're going to come and take my sample first and then they will come to you." He said.

I nodded, "Okay."

"Um...I guess I'll reach out to you later." He said.

"I look forward to it." I said.

I handed Caleb his cell back with sweaty palms. I hated the effect this man had over my body. Caleb stayed on the phone for a few more seconds before hanging up.

"He's going to be sending someone over, so expect them to be here by three. I'll be right there if you want." Caleb said.

"Yes, I think that'll be best."

The rest of the afternoon was spent with my girls. Cat and I played with them, watched tv, gave each other pedicures and ordered just about everything on the lunch menu. Our butler was at our back and call whenever we needed him, he was a real sweetheart. I was having so much fun I hadn't realized it was almost three until Caleb came knocking. Cat and I were wearing special avocado masks while we sang along to cocomelon songs. I got up to open the door and led him to the living room where we all were. Caleb's eyes widened at the scene before him. "Is that room service?" Cat asked.

Once she realized it was Caleb her eyes opened comically. Caleb covered his mouth to muffle his laugh and I simply rolled my eyes allowing him to step in. "I wish you had told me we were having guests." Cat glared.

"I did." I shrugged.

I just didn't mention that Caleb would be joining the company. "Can I join in on the festivities?" Caleb smiled.

"Sure." I said. Caleb sat comfortably on the floor near the girls. This was my first time seeing him in casual short pants and t-shirt.

"Cabub!" Lily said suddenly.

"Hi Cabub." Peppa waved her hand.

"Hi girls, how ya doing?"

"Good." They said in unison.

"They're kind of advanced, don't you think?" Caleb asked.

"Yep, all thanks to my magic titty milk." I said puffing my chest out.

Caleb laughed and shook his head. "You're unbelievable." I noticed that Cat wasn't making eye contact with anyone and I realized that she was shy.

"You can take the mask off if you want to you know?" I said.

Cat shot out of her seat on the floor and I laughed moving to sit on the floor next to Caleb. "They haven't eaten right?" He asked.

I shook my head, "They had lunch around one and I haven't given them anything since." I said. "Good, the faster we can get through with this the better." He said.

Cat came out shortly after looking a lot more confident. She smiled and sat on the other side of the girls. They were too focused on the tv to care about the adults around them. "What are the protocols for identical twins' DNA?" Caleb asked.

"Funny, you asked that when you are a twin." I laughed.

"Fraternal." He shrugged.

"Well I found out around the time they were born that their DNA is identical, given that they came from the same fertilized egg. I'm pretty sure that they only need one of them to do the test, but I don't know." I shrugged.

"That's pretty cool when you think about it. What was it like growing up as a twin?" Cat asked.

Caleb shrugged shyly, "It wasn't a big thing. We were two very different people. Nothing about Mason and I were identical, he was the jock while I was a quiet reader. My dad was pretty hooked on him."

"Did that bother you?" Cat asked.

"Hmm at first but as I got older, I realized I got the better end of the deal. He doesn't expect much from me anymore and I was done living up to his expectations."

"That's really good." I replied.

Caleb shrugged, "I can’t wait to see how Lily and Peppa would be like."

"Tsss, it's so weird. They eat together, sleep together, wake up together and are in complete sync. Meanwhile their taste in foods, the toys they play with, their favorite colors and the things they do can't be any more different. So yes, they're identical straight down to DNA but, they have two completely different personalities." I said.

We watched the girls play and chatted amongst each other until Caleb's phone rang. "They're here, I'll bring them." He said.

The minute he exits the room Cat sighed dazed. "He's so gorgeous." She said.

"Maybe you should tell him that." I said.

"Funny." She mumbled.

"He's a great guy Cat, I actually like him for you."

"Get real Ava."

"Hey, if I could hook up with a guy like Mason you can get a guy like Caleb." I laughed.

"Well it doesn't count when you were both drunk." She replied.

Caleb knocked again and I quickly got the door allowing him to enter again along with a man and woman. They were dressed in scrubs and were carrying a small bag, almost like a mini briefcase on wheels. We quickly made our introductions and I led them to the living room. I sat the girls on my lap and allowed them to do whatever they needed. The girls were polite and well behaved through the whole ordeal and I was so proud of them. They looked mostly curious through the whole procedure. I let out a quick sigh of relief when it was all done, and they made their exit. "Who were they?" I asked Caleb after they left.

"They work at the laboratory right here, they're friends of the family." He said.

"Why do I feel that you guys have been seeing them a lot?" I asked.

Caleb laughed and blushed. "Not as many as you think." He said glancing over to Cat.

She was busy getting the girls a snack. "She likes you, you know." I said.

"You think?" He asked.

"I know."

Caleb smiled shyly towards her before sighing. "I better head out."

"Okay. How long will the results take?"

"Twenty-Four hours tops. I told them to make sure you get a copy. I think Mason needs to see the real thing."

"I agree."

"Good. They’ll send it over when it's ready. Do you still want to leave tomorrow?" He asked.

"I think it's best. Once he gets those results, he is going to need a few moments to himself." I laughed.

We said quick goodbyes and went our separate ways for tonight. Later that night after we all showered and got ready for bed, we were sitting in my bedroom. I leaned against the bedpost while the girls nursed quietly, almost fast asleep. Cat sat in the bed across from me polishing her fingernails.

"I'm bummed we have to go tomorrow."

"Well you aren't exactly free from your job yet and neither am I. I would like to just stay here and forget everything else, but reality has to kick in sooner or later."

"What about Mason?"

"Mason will find out the truth tomorrow and whether he wants to or not, he's their father. I'm not putting my life on pause, I'm going to give him some air to process all of this. When he's ready he will know where to find us." I shrugged.

Cat nodded, "Fair point. I'm still going to miss it here so I'm going to bury myself in that glorious bed and enjoy my last night." I smiled as she exited the room closing the door behind her.

The girls were nearly asleep, and I shimmied under the blanket gently trying to get comfortable without disturbing them. With my girls snuggled to my side I fell fast asleep in no time. The next day was spent getting our things together. Luckily, we didn't have much to pack, so we were able to go downstairs and grab a bite to eat in one of the restaurants. It was easy to forget everything around me with my daughters and best friend at my side. They kept me grounded during moments I thought I would fall apart. Caleb said he had a few things to do before we left so it was a free day for us. We decided to hang around the pool with the girls. Peppa played near the kitty pool with ease, but Lily was more reluctant. I will never understand how one minute she can play in water and the next she doesn't want to go near it. It was nearly three when we headed back to our penthouse and I couldn't believe how fast time flew by. Caleb will be here soon, so we quickly got cleaned up and placed our bags to the door. The girls were running around in the foyer when Caleb arrived.

"Wow you guys are all packed and ready to go." He laughed.

"Yea, we're going to miss this though." I said.

"You can come back anytime, it's no problem." He said.

"I will definitely be taking you up on that offer." Cat laughed.

Caleb pulled out a white envelope that was tucked in the inside of his coat and handed it to me. I looked at him in shock.

"The results?" I asked.

He nodded seriously. I took a deep breath and took it out of his hands with my shaky fingers. If I was so confident that Mason was their dad, why do I feel so nervous, like this paper holds the answer to all my questions. I tried to calm my shaky fingers as I tore open the little white envelope. Unfolding the papers quickly I looked towards the ceiling before my eye scanned the paper. My breathing ceased.

"What is it?" Cat asked.

The tears that I was holding back finally spilled over my cheeks slowly as I stared at the paper in my hands.

"Oh my God, Ava what does it say?" Cat moved to stand by my side and her hand rubbed my back in worry.

"Probability of Paternity.....99.99..."

"Oh my God!!!!!" Cat screamed and started jumping up and down. She tugged my arms and continued to jump causing me to join in. I laughed and allowed her to pull me into a tight hug.

"Yes bitch! You told them!" I was so busy having my victory dance with Cat I hadn't heard anything from Caleb. I turned slowly and noticed he was looking at the girls as they were still playing with each other. He sighed and turned to face me.

"They're my nieces?" He asked.

"Definitely." I smiled and handed him the papers.

Caleb took them from me gently and read the papers. I kneeled to the floor.

"Come here babies!" I said. The girls instantly ran into my arms and I picked them gently and twirled them around. They giggled happily in my arms as I showered them with kisses.

"Mommy is so happy girls. My God, I'm just......so happy." I said.

"You did it." Cat smiled.

"I can't believe it. I mean I always knew it, and now it’s straight up facts. No doubt." I said.

Caleb came to stand next to me and he hesitantly held his hand out for the girls. Lily moved into his arms willingly and after a moment, Peppa joined also. I watched as he gave them light bounces as he stared at them.

"My nieces." he said in awe.

For almost three years, I searched for my stranger and to know that my search was now over was one of the greatest reliefs I've ever felt.