<h4>Chapter 112: Chapter 112 : Words of Confidence</h4>


    Neal.


    The moment that the ne finallynded in New Zend, I couldn’t help but give a veryrge sigh of relief. Never in my life had it felt like I was on a n for so long, and I had been to Australia before. Even though those flights were just as long, there was something about this flight that was just exhausting.


    Perhaps it was the fact that sweet Ba decided that we would ride first ss like regr people all the way to New Zend.


    I could have gotten us on a better ne—a more private ne even. But no, she wanted to have an adventure. Not that I wasining, but my sister sure as hell was, and herining made Baugh.


    “Did you see the way that guy looked at me? It was as if I was at a buffet, and he wanted something all you can eat.” Allegra’s disgusted tone caused both Ba and I to snort withughter.


    “Oh my God. It wasn’t even like that, and you know it.”


    Allegra turned to Ba with a re on her face as she used the fan in her hand to blow cool air upon her skin. She was sweating, her hair was frizzy, and her makeup was a mess, and if Allegra looked at herself in the mirror right now, she’d probably have a meltdown. But I wasn’t going to be the one to cause that.


    “Come on, you two, our driver’s waiting out front. I just got a text message.”


    My words seemed to beforting because quickly, the two women followed behind me to the conveyor belt, where we collected our bags and made our way out to the drivers that were waiting on the curb.


    I hadn’t expected to see two men in one car, but yet there they were, and I didn’t question it either. Instead, I let them take the bags and load them into the vehicle while Allegra, Ba, and I climbed into the back seat of the limo. Sara buckled the baby into a carseat already provided, and we all prepared ourselves for a grand journey toward the cabana that Ba had rented.


    Driving down the narrow roads and through the beautiful countryside, the ocean in the distance, the wind blowing against the trees, I couldn’t help but think how beautiful the ind was. It was big for sure but small enough to be remote.


    The sun shining brightly in the sky warmed the world around it, and as we continued down the road, the white cabana which Ba had fallen in love with through the photos slowly came into view on its own private beach.


    I wasn’t sure what it was about this ce that she’d loved so much, but after hours and hours of scrolling through photos and looking at different price ranges and venues, this was the one that she kepting back to.


    It was a five-bedroom, three bath cabana with a private beach, a pool, and other luxuries.


    One would have thought that she fell in love with the amodations, but actually, it wasn’t that. It was the beach that she fell in love with. The beach overlooked the wide, vast ocean. Something in that picture of the ocean seemed to captivate her and mesmerize her in ways I didn’t understand.


    It was as if she saw something within those photos of the ocean that helped her to make that final decision. “Oh, my goodness,.We’re here.”


    The soft gasps that left her lips as the car finally pulled into the driveway,ing to a stop, were enchanting. As soon as the door was open, she was out of it, her eyes wide. Her lips parted as she deeply inhaled the fresh air that surrounded us.


    “This is better than I could have imagined it being,” she whispered softly as her eyes turned to face me. “Look how beautiful everything is.”


    She wasn’t wrong about things being beautiful, but the only thing that I thought was beautiful was her. From the small, protruding bump that she carried to the highlighted smile upon her face... she was beautiful.


    “Why don’t you go inside and check out everything? I’ll help bring the bags in.”


    She didn’t need to be told twice, and she turned on her heel, making her way inside as quickly as she could. The door opened just before she reached it, as the owner of the cabana greeted her with a warm hug.


    I couldn’t hear the exchange of words that they were having, but from the smile on both of their faces, I knew whatever it was had to have been pleasing. But who couldn’t smile while looking at Ba and the state that she was in?


    It was the first time I’d seen her properly smile in weeks.


    “You know, if you keep gawking like that, it’s gonna make you look a little creepy.”


    Allegra’s words rang through my ears, and as I turned to face her, I couldn’t help but feel annoyed. She would have to be the person to ruin the moment I was enjoying. “You’re still here. That means you obviously want to help bring everything in, considering the numerous bags that are yours.”


    The small hint of threat that I had given her over having to carry her own bags was enough for her to quickly dismiss her presence before me, making her way inside behind Ba. I knew that she wouldn’t want to do something like that, and even though she could be a badass when she wanted to, she was still, first and foremost, a prima ballerina.


    As the driver and I collected all of the bags out of the vehicle, and the other driver that was with the first one I had been speaking with took them inside. I took in the surroundings once more, just as my phone began to ring.


    Confusion filled me, wondering who it was that could have been calling me because everybody knew that I was on vacation, something that I didn’t take very often, and I was only to be disturbed in an emergency. And considering I hadn’t been gone that long, there was no way there could have been an emergency.


    Pulling my phone from my pocket, I nced down, not recognizing the phone number that was calling me. I hesitated for a moment, considering that I could just hang up on it, thinking that it was a spam caller, but something inside of me told me to answer the phone.


    And so I did.


    “Neil?” The voice on the other end of the line was one that I would never forget. A voice that was long gone and supposed to be kept in the past, away from me and away from those I cared about.


    “How the f*ck are you calling me, James?”


    I quickly made my way from the vehicle and the cabana, walking up the driveway to get some distance. Thest thing I wanted was Reba to overhear the conversation. As far as everyone was concerned, he was dead.


    “Look, please don’t act like this. I know I’m not supposed to contact you, and I know that I am ruining everything by doing so, but I couldn’t help it. I have to know if she’s okay,” he replied, causing the anger to boil through me.


    I wasn’t angry because he was calling and possibly interfering in the life that I was trying to create with Ba, I was angry because his calling could put her in danger.


    “Do you understand what could happen if anybody found out that you were still alive, that you were contacting her? They could kill her and the children.”


    Just as I said those words, I watched Sara and the baby walking around the front garden as she obviously was trying to hush him. His soft cries echoed through the wind as the older woman stared down at him with such kind eyes as she had done many times before.


    I had been slightly against the idea of bringing the baby on the trip. But Ba made it clear that she wasn’t going to allow the child out of her sight for too long, and if she wasing to enjoy this trip, then so were the baby and Sara.


    “Look, I’m aware of theplications, and the longer that this conversation continues, the more it’s putting her in jeopardy. So can you please just answer my questions and stop f*cking arguing with me for once?”


    “No, you don’t get that right.” I snapped at him through the phone. “Do you have any idea what this woman has been through? I get that you lost your daughter, but she lost you and Tally, and now she’s raising your grandson as her own child while trying to piece together her life and settling all of your f*cking shit.”


    A heavy sigh escaped him through the phone at myment. He knew that I wasn’t wrong, and if he denied it— it would only prove how much of an asshole he was.


    “I know, and I’m sorry. Just please... is she safe?”


    Pinching the bridge of my nose, I nced back at the house to see her standing on the porch once more, talking to the owner. Her eyes nced at me with a smile as the woman beside her said something else that caught her attention.


    “She’s doing as well as can be expected,” I replied to James wanting to keep the conversation short. “The baby is okay.”


    “I can’t live with losing her, Neal,” he whispered. “I just can’t.”


    “Well, you should have thought about that before you did what you did. She doesn’t deserve that kind of life, James. You even said that in the letter you left for me.”


    “What if I can fix things, though?” Hisment made my brows furrow in confusion.


    How the hell could he fix this?


    “Even if you could fix this, what do you expect to gain, James?”


    Part of me already knew what he was going to say, and that angered me even more.


    “I want to win her back,” he replied very confidently. “I want to be a part of my child’s life and start over fresh. Doing the things I should have done years ago.”


    “No.” My reply was firm. “I will stop you right there and be selfish for once. The child may be yours, but Ba is mine. I have been there for her through everything, and you trying this bullshit will only make things worse. So for once, do her a favor and stop.”


    Perhaps I was wrong, and perhaps I was being selfish. The idea of losing Ba wasn’t something that I was willing to consider, and if he thought that I was going to allow that to happen, he was sadly mistaken.


    “You can’t stop me,” he replied confidently. “One way or another, I will get her back.”