Chapter Thirty-Nine
(January 1st - New Year's Day - Baby Countdown: 2 months, 11 days!)
Chloe reached over to Brady's side of the bed, searching for him with her hands. His normal space was empty, but still a little warm. She opened her eyes slowly, searching for his presence.
"Braaaaaady..." She croaked out, barely above a whisper. "Braaaaaady, where are yooooou?"
Brady walked in from the bathroom and lay next to her with a grin. "Good morning, Diva."
"Happy New Year, Brady."
"Oh, so you didn't forget. I figured that when you were out like a light at 11:55, you had forgotten it was New Year's."
Chloe shook her head and frowned at him. "Sorry... But, the baby on board makes me so tired sometimes."
Brady smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Don't worry, you are forgiven."
Chloe inspected him closely. He was wearing jeans, and a long sleeved blue shirt, his hair was in place, and he smelled like her favorite scent, a mixture of Brady's shampoo, cologne and soap. Even his kisses tasted a little bit like toothpaste.
She pouted slightly and ran her hand up his clothed arm. "You're all dressed and hygienic. How long have you been up?"
"About an hour. Remember we're supposed to be going to my parents house to watch the football games and have a big New Year's dinner later on."
"Ohhhhh... I'm sorry. I meant to get up earlier, but I was dreaming... And..."
Brady raised his eyebrows curiously. "Dreaming about what?"
Chloe sighed sadly and averted her eyes away from him. "My father... But, not really my father because I don't even know what he looks like. I dreamt that we found him, but that he was dead."
"It's because you're stressed out. It's been almost two months since we started this, and we haven't found anything yet."
"Yeah, and we're probably not going to find anything."
Brady pulled her into his arms and began gently stroking her hair. "Don't say that. We are going to find him. Sometimes these things take a very long time."
Chloe frowned again and looked up into his blue eyes. "I know... But, it just seems so hopeless. My idea about the pictures? It was worthless. It didn't work. Harvard has nothing on this guy, including no pictures from the alumni weekend with him or my mother in them. Nothing."
"Yes, but your mom did say that they left the dinner kind of early, and a lot of the pictures we've found so far must have been taken later in the night. The pictures were a brilliant idea, we just have to wait for a few more sources to come through."
"Like Jennifer at the Spectator?"
Brady nodded affirmatively. "Yes, exactly. She has a lot of contacts with newspapers and photographers all over the country. She's put some calls in to people who were around at that time, and might have been there with a camera. Nothing has turned up yet, but you have to have faith. Right?
Chloe smiled slightly and nodded. "I know... faith. I'm trying so hard not to give up, but the trail is so cold. If we don't get a break, a real solid lead, soon... I don't what else we can do."
"Chloe Black. I swear if I have to knock on the front door of every single person in this entire country and ask if they are Rob Hillton who was at the Harvard Alumni Weekend on that specific date, I will."
Chloe couldn't help it, but a grin formed over her lips. "What if he lives in Europe?"
Brady laughed and playfully pinched her arm. "Then we'll have Greta do it."
"Oh, okay. Sounds like a plan. I'm sorry that I'm such a cynic sometimes."
"Don't be. It's what made me fall in love with you."
Chloe wrinkled her nose up in disgust. "Really? Because if that's true, you're far more twisted than I initially thought."
Brady shook his head and kissed the tip of her nose. "No, not really. It was one of a million things that made me fall in love with you."
"Oh good." Chloe rolled on to her back with a groan. "So, I guess better I get up and make myself presentable. Don't want to be late for the festivities."
"We're going to be late, no matter what, even if you hurried. Why don't you sleep for a little while longer, then get up and pamper yourself, and meet me over there later. I'm just going to be watching football with the guys. You have a few hours before you really have to be there. Especially, because I know how much you don't want to watch football."
"Mmmmm... Good point. I think I'll do that."
Brady leaned over her, his face over hers. "You think you'll be okay to drive in the snow?"
Chloe nodded and smiled at him. "Oh yeah. It's not that heavy anyway. I'll be fine."
He smiled back at her and kissed her passionately. Chloe let her hand float up his arm and rest in the back of his hair as the kiss continued. He finally broke away from her and winked sexily at her.
"Geez, Diva... You keep kissing me like that and I may have to forget all about football."
Chloe grinned proudly and nodded. "Well, us women have to have something in our repertoire that can compete with a touchdown."
Brady kissed her quickly and nodded in understanding. "Works for me. I love you."
"Love you too."
And with that, he was off. She lay there clutching her comforter as she listened to him run down the stairs and leave their loft. Chloe rolled over on to her side again, and tried to fall back asleep. But, it was nearly impossible. Too many thoughts were running through her head to gain solace. And, most of them had to do with the mystery surrounding the night she was conceived. After a while of lying there with her eyes wide open, she gave up on sleep and slid out of bed, hurrying into the bathroom to take a nice hot bath.
***
(Later... After bathing and pampering.)
Chloe made her way down the stairs and into the living room. She shivered slightly and grabbed a sweater that she had left on the couch the night before, wrapping it around her shoulders. She loved living in the loft, but it did have a tendency to get somewhat drafty in the winter months.
She went over to the desk and flipped the switch on the computer, cozying herself up in the chair in front of it as she waited for it to boot up. She hadn't checked it in a couple of days, but wanted to see if there were any e-mails from Greta.
Ever since running into each other in Venice, Chloe and Brady had kept in close contact with the princess. Sending constant e-mails, and calling each other had become regular occurrences between the three of them. Chloe, especially, had become close friends with Greta over the past few months. Despite their dissimilar backgrounds, they found that they had a lot more in common than Chloe would have ever believed.
She opened her e-mail program and waited for the messages to load. Of course, there were about eighteen messages asking Chloe to come 'check out hot teen sex on the web' and various other 'X-Rated' things, but Chloe was like a robot, automatically deleting each of them as soon as they popped up. And, as usual, of the 20 messages in her box, only one was of any interest.
"To: c.black@dotcom.com
From: gvonamberg@hotmail.com
Subject: Happy New Year!
Hey Chloe! Hope you and Brady are having a great New Year's!
Everything is fantastic here. I'm still in Venice, but I'm going back to Paris in a couple of weeks, and I plan on settling there for a while. I bought the cutest little house near the orphanage, and I hope you two will come visit me. I've got plenty of room for you two and the baby to stay. So, as soon as you're feeling up to traveling after the baby is born, PLEASE come and visit. I know you'll absolutely LOVE it.
How is everything going with the search for your father? I know how hard this is on you, having been there myself. But, just be strong, and he'll turn up eventually. And no matter what happens when you do find him, remember that the person your father is has nothing to do with the person you are. I know that from experience.
Sorry this is so short, but I promised the kids at the orphanage that I'd go count down to midnight with them. Take care, and give my love to Brady. (And everyone else!)
Always,
Greta"
Chloe smiled and quickly tapped out a short reply.
"Greta,
Happy New Year's to you too. Guess what? Brady and I decided to stay home, because it's our first New Years as a couple and we wanted to be alone. So, we're sitting on the couch watching Dick Clark, and I was out cold by five minutes 'til eleven. Whoops. I can't help it, carrying around a baby who's stomping over my internal organs all day is really tiring.
I'm glad to hear about your place in Paris, but I know that you'll probably miss Venice terribly. I think we'd both love a trip to Paris, once we have the chance to do it. We'll make sure our baby is an experienced world traveler by the time it starts school.
Did I tell you about my Christmas gift? Brady's parents bought us a car! I had said I wanted to get one because we need something more practical than a jeep once we have the baby. And guess we got? Another JEEP! Ha ha ha. But, it's one of the SUV kind, the new Jeep Liberty, not a little one like Brady's. I tried to tell them it was way too expensive, but they absolutely insisted. John and Marlena said it was a wedding/Christmas present for us both. God knows we needed it.
As for the father search... There's not much to say. In fact, there's nothing to say. But, keep your fingers crossed.
I've gotta run. My in-laws are having a small intimate New Year's Day gathering at their place. Just us, my parents, John, Marlena, Belle, Shawn, Mimi, Hope and Bo. Should be nice.
Love,
Chloe"
Chloe hit the send button and quickly shut down the computer. She got up and pushed the chair in. She was about to call Brady and tell him she was on her way over, when there was a loud knocking on the front door. Chloe jumped in surprise and headed over to open it up. She slid the heavy metal door open and came face to face with Jennifer Horton, who was clutching a brown manila envelope to her chest nervously.
"Jennifer... This is... a surprise."
Jennifer nodded, and she tried to attempt a slight smile. "Hi Chloe... I uhm... Is Brady here too?"
"No, he's at his parents. I was just about to head over there. Is something wrong?"
"I don't exactly know. Can I come in?"
Chloe cringed at her own rudeness, not believing that she didn't think to invite her in and motioned for Jennifer to step inside. "Oh yeah, of course. I'm sorry."
Jennifer walked inside, as Chloe slid the door shut behind her. She led Jennifer to the couch, and the blonde took her seat, the envelope placed in her lap. "Can I get you something to drink? I can make coffee, we've got water and a few other things."
Jennifer shook her head. "Uhm, no thanks, Chloe I'm fine."
Chloe nodded and sat on the other end of the couch from her. "So, what's going on? I certainly didn't expect any visitors on New Year's Day."
"And, I didn't expect to be here either. As you know, I was sort of recruited in the investigation that pertains to you and your mother. I'm not sure who you're looking for, or what you're looking for at all. I was just asked if I could make some calls and find some photographs from an event that took place at Harvard years ago."
Chloe pointed at the envelope in her lap and raised her eyebrows. "And you found something?"
Jennifer nodded and took a deep breath in. "It's weird, actually. They kind of found me. I guess this envelope came to me a few days ago, but somehow got lost in the shuffle. I went into the office really early this morning, because the newspaper business doesn't stop for holidays. It was there, right underneath a stack of research materials."
Chloe's jaw was dropped in surprise, and her heartbeat quickened as Jennifer handed the envelope over to her. Her hands were trembling as she turned it over and opened the flap. She had seen so many pictures, and gone through so much information in the past weeks, that she didn't know whether this would be another disappointment, or the real deal. She slowly took the photos out of the envelope and knew from the first glance that Jennifer Horton had definitely stumbled upon a huge break for the investigation.
The first few photos were of other things, but she saw Nancy in the background. She was holding a glass in her hand and seemed to be in conversation with a man that fit perfectly Nancy's description of Rob Hillton. The last photo in the batch was a posed group shot of her grandparents, two men she assumed were friends of her grandfather's, and Nancy standing right next to the man she had been talking to in the other photos.
Chloe tried to speak, but her voice caught in her throat. It was almost too good to be true. Right there in front of her was exactly what she had been looking for.
Jennifer broke through the silence as Chloe kept her eyes glued to the photo in her hand. "Chloe... That's your mother in those pictures? Right?"
Chloe nodded slightly, still lost in what was laid out before her. She felt a tear run down her cheek, perhaps forced out by the end of two months of waiting for even a small clue. "Yes, that's her."
"I have to ask. What or who exactly are you looking for? Bo and Brady wouldn't tell me when they asked for my help. They said it's a personal matter. Private."
"I'm sorry, I can't really tell you. It's definitely a personal and private issue."
Chloe was about to thank her for her help when Jennifer interrupted her. "Well, I think you have to tell me. Because, now it's an issue that happens to be very personal to me."
Chloe lifted her eyes from the picture and stared at Jennifer in surprise. "What? What does this have to do with you?"
Jennifer sighed and pointed at the man in the photo, the one that Chloe thought could be the one she had searched so long for. "Because that man standing next to your mother just happens to be *my* father."
***
To be continued!
Wheeee! I haven't really done a cliffhanger chapter in a long time. So, here you go. I love writing scenes like that though, because you can imagine the freeze frame on Chloe's shocked face and then BAM! Hourglass and theme music, show's over! At least that's how I imagine it in my head when I write little cliffhanger scenes.
(January 1st - New Year's Day - Baby Countdown: 2 months, 11 days!)
Chloe reached over to Brady's side of the bed, searching for him with her hands. His normal space was empty, but still a little warm. She opened her eyes slowly, searching for his presence.
"Braaaaaady..." She croaked out, barely above a whisper. "Braaaaaady, where are yooooou?"
Brady walked in from the bathroom and lay next to her with a grin. "Good morning, Diva."
"Happy New Year, Brady."
"Oh, so you didn't forget. I figured that when you were out like a light at 11:55, you had forgotten it was New Year's."
Chloe shook her head and frowned at him. "Sorry... But, the baby on board makes me so tired sometimes."
Brady smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Don't worry, you are forgiven."
Chloe inspected him closely. He was wearing jeans, and a long sleeved blue shirt, his hair was in place, and he smelled like her favorite scent, a mixture of Brady's shampoo, cologne and soap. Even his kisses tasted a little bit like toothpaste.
She pouted slightly and ran her hand up his clothed arm. "You're all dressed and hygienic. How long have you been up?"
"About an hour. Remember we're supposed to be going to my parents house to watch the football games and have a big New Year's dinner later on."
"Ohhhhh... I'm sorry. I meant to get up earlier, but I was dreaming... And..."
Brady raised his eyebrows curiously. "Dreaming about what?"
Chloe sighed sadly and averted her eyes away from him. "My father... But, not really my father because I don't even know what he looks like. I dreamt that we found him, but that he was dead."
"It's because you're stressed out. It's been almost two months since we started this, and we haven't found anything yet."
"Yeah, and we're probably not going to find anything."
Brady pulled her into his arms and began gently stroking her hair. "Don't say that. We are going to find him. Sometimes these things take a very long time."
Chloe frowned again and looked up into his blue eyes. "I know... But, it just seems so hopeless. My idea about the pictures? It was worthless. It didn't work. Harvard has nothing on this guy, including no pictures from the alumni weekend with him or my mother in them. Nothing."
"Yes, but your mom did say that they left the dinner kind of early, and a lot of the pictures we've found so far must have been taken later in the night. The pictures were a brilliant idea, we just have to wait for a few more sources to come through."
"Like Jennifer at the Spectator?"
Brady nodded affirmatively. "Yes, exactly. She has a lot of contacts with newspapers and photographers all over the country. She's put some calls in to people who were around at that time, and might have been there with a camera. Nothing has turned up yet, but you have to have faith. Right?
Chloe smiled slightly and nodded. "I know... faith. I'm trying so hard not to give up, but the trail is so cold. If we don't get a break, a real solid lead, soon... I don't what else we can do."
"Chloe Black. I swear if I have to knock on the front door of every single person in this entire country and ask if they are Rob Hillton who was at the Harvard Alumni Weekend on that specific date, I will."
Chloe couldn't help it, but a grin formed over her lips. "What if he lives in Europe?"
Brady laughed and playfully pinched her arm. "Then we'll have Greta do it."
"Oh, okay. Sounds like a plan. I'm sorry that I'm such a cynic sometimes."
"Don't be. It's what made me fall in love with you."
Chloe wrinkled her nose up in disgust. "Really? Because if that's true, you're far more twisted than I initially thought."
Brady shook his head and kissed the tip of her nose. "No, not really. It was one of a million things that made me fall in love with you."
"Oh good." Chloe rolled on to her back with a groan. "So, I guess better I get up and make myself presentable. Don't want to be late for the festivities."
"We're going to be late, no matter what, even if you hurried. Why don't you sleep for a little while longer, then get up and pamper yourself, and meet me over there later. I'm just going to be watching football with the guys. You have a few hours before you really have to be there. Especially, because I know how much you don't want to watch football."
"Mmmmm... Good point. I think I'll do that."
Brady leaned over her, his face over hers. "You think you'll be okay to drive in the snow?"
Chloe nodded and smiled at him. "Oh yeah. It's not that heavy anyway. I'll be fine."
He smiled back at her and kissed her passionately. Chloe let her hand float up his arm and rest in the back of his hair as the kiss continued. He finally broke away from her and winked sexily at her.
"Geez, Diva... You keep kissing me like that and I may have to forget all about football."
Chloe grinned proudly and nodded. "Well, us women have to have something in our repertoire that can compete with a touchdown."
Brady kissed her quickly and nodded in understanding. "Works for me. I love you."
"Love you too."
And with that, he was off. She lay there clutching her comforter as she listened to him run down the stairs and leave their loft. Chloe rolled over on to her side again, and tried to fall back asleep. But, it was nearly impossible. Too many thoughts were running through her head to gain solace. And, most of them had to do with the mystery surrounding the night she was conceived. After a while of lying there with her eyes wide open, she gave up on sleep and slid out of bed, hurrying into the bathroom to take a nice hot bath.
***
(Later... After bathing and pampering.)
Chloe made her way down the stairs and into the living room. She shivered slightly and grabbed a sweater that she had left on the couch the night before, wrapping it around her shoulders. She loved living in the loft, but it did have a tendency to get somewhat drafty in the winter months.
She went over to the desk and flipped the switch on the computer, cozying herself up in the chair in front of it as she waited for it to boot up. She hadn't checked it in a couple of days, but wanted to see if there were any e-mails from Greta.
Ever since running into each other in Venice, Chloe and Brady had kept in close contact with the princess. Sending constant e-mails, and calling each other had become regular occurrences between the three of them. Chloe, especially, had become close friends with Greta over the past few months. Despite their dissimilar backgrounds, they found that they had a lot more in common than Chloe would have ever believed.
She opened her e-mail program and waited for the messages to load. Of course, there were about eighteen messages asking Chloe to come 'check out hot teen sex on the web' and various other 'X-Rated' things, but Chloe was like a robot, automatically deleting each of them as soon as they popped up. And, as usual, of the 20 messages in her box, only one was of any interest.
"To: c.black@dotcom.com
From: gvonamberg@hotmail.com
Subject: Happy New Year!
Hey Chloe! Hope you and Brady are having a great New Year's!
Everything is fantastic here. I'm still in Venice, but I'm going back to Paris in a couple of weeks, and I plan on settling there for a while. I bought the cutest little house near the orphanage, and I hope you two will come visit me. I've got plenty of room for you two and the baby to stay. So, as soon as you're feeling up to traveling after the baby is born, PLEASE come and visit. I know you'll absolutely LOVE it.
How is everything going with the search for your father? I know how hard this is on you, having been there myself. But, just be strong, and he'll turn up eventually. And no matter what happens when you do find him, remember that the person your father is has nothing to do with the person you are. I know that from experience.
Sorry this is so short, but I promised the kids at the orphanage that I'd go count down to midnight with them. Take care, and give my love to Brady. (And everyone else!)
Always,
Greta"
Chloe smiled and quickly tapped out a short reply.
"Greta,
Happy New Year's to you too. Guess what? Brady and I decided to stay home, because it's our first New Years as a couple and we wanted to be alone. So, we're sitting on the couch watching Dick Clark, and I was out cold by five minutes 'til eleven. Whoops. I can't help it, carrying around a baby who's stomping over my internal organs all day is really tiring.
I'm glad to hear about your place in Paris, but I know that you'll probably miss Venice terribly. I think we'd both love a trip to Paris, once we have the chance to do it. We'll make sure our baby is an experienced world traveler by the time it starts school.
Did I tell you about my Christmas gift? Brady's parents bought us a car! I had said I wanted to get one because we need something more practical than a jeep once we have the baby. And guess we got? Another JEEP! Ha ha ha. But, it's one of the SUV kind, the new Jeep Liberty, not a little one like Brady's. I tried to tell them it was way too expensive, but they absolutely insisted. John and Marlena said it was a wedding/Christmas present for us both. God knows we needed it.
As for the father search... There's not much to say. In fact, there's nothing to say. But, keep your fingers crossed.
I've gotta run. My in-laws are having a small intimate New Year's Day gathering at their place. Just us, my parents, John, Marlena, Belle, Shawn, Mimi, Hope and Bo. Should be nice.
Love,
Chloe"
Chloe hit the send button and quickly shut down the computer. She got up and pushed the chair in. She was about to call Brady and tell him she was on her way over, when there was a loud knocking on the front door. Chloe jumped in surprise and headed over to open it up. She slid the heavy metal door open and came face to face with Jennifer Horton, who was clutching a brown manila envelope to her chest nervously.
"Jennifer... This is... a surprise."
Jennifer nodded, and she tried to attempt a slight smile. "Hi Chloe... I uhm... Is Brady here too?"
"No, he's at his parents. I was just about to head over there. Is something wrong?"
"I don't exactly know. Can I come in?"
Chloe cringed at her own rudeness, not believing that she didn't think to invite her in and motioned for Jennifer to step inside. "Oh yeah, of course. I'm sorry."
Jennifer walked inside, as Chloe slid the door shut behind her. She led Jennifer to the couch, and the blonde took her seat, the envelope placed in her lap. "Can I get you something to drink? I can make coffee, we've got water and a few other things."
Jennifer shook her head. "Uhm, no thanks, Chloe I'm fine."
Chloe nodded and sat on the other end of the couch from her. "So, what's going on? I certainly didn't expect any visitors on New Year's Day."
"And, I didn't expect to be here either. As you know, I was sort of recruited in the investigation that pertains to you and your mother. I'm not sure who you're looking for, or what you're looking for at all. I was just asked if I could make some calls and find some photographs from an event that took place at Harvard years ago."
Chloe pointed at the envelope in her lap and raised her eyebrows. "And you found something?"
Jennifer nodded and took a deep breath in. "It's weird, actually. They kind of found me. I guess this envelope came to me a few days ago, but somehow got lost in the shuffle. I went into the office really early this morning, because the newspaper business doesn't stop for holidays. It was there, right underneath a stack of research materials."
Chloe's jaw was dropped in surprise, and her heartbeat quickened as Jennifer handed the envelope over to her. Her hands were trembling as she turned it over and opened the flap. She had seen so many pictures, and gone through so much information in the past weeks, that she didn't know whether this would be another disappointment, or the real deal. She slowly took the photos out of the envelope and knew from the first glance that Jennifer Horton had definitely stumbled upon a huge break for the investigation.
The first few photos were of other things, but she saw Nancy in the background. She was holding a glass in her hand and seemed to be in conversation with a man that fit perfectly Nancy's description of Rob Hillton. The last photo in the batch was a posed group shot of her grandparents, two men she assumed were friends of her grandfather's, and Nancy standing right next to the man she had been talking to in the other photos.
Chloe tried to speak, but her voice caught in her throat. It was almost too good to be true. Right there in front of her was exactly what she had been looking for.
Jennifer broke through the silence as Chloe kept her eyes glued to the photo in her hand. "Chloe... That's your mother in those pictures? Right?"
Chloe nodded slightly, still lost in what was laid out before her. She felt a tear run down her cheek, perhaps forced out by the end of two months of waiting for even a small clue. "Yes, that's her."
"I have to ask. What or who exactly are you looking for? Bo and Brady wouldn't tell me when they asked for my help. They said it's a personal matter. Private."
"I'm sorry, I can't really tell you. It's definitely a personal and private issue."
Chloe was about to thank her for her help when Jennifer interrupted her. "Well, I think you have to tell me. Because, now it's an issue that happens to be very personal to me."
Chloe lifted her eyes from the picture and stared at Jennifer in surprise. "What? What does this have to do with you?"
Jennifer sighed and pointed at the man in the photo, the one that Chloe thought could be the one she had searched so long for. "Because that man standing next to your mother just happens to be *my* father."
***
To be continued!
Wheeee! I haven't really done a cliffhanger chapter in a long time. So, here you go. I love writing scenes like that though, because you can imagine the freeze frame on Chloe's shocked face and then BAM! Hourglass and theme music, show's over! At least that's how I imagine it in my head when I write little cliffhanger scenes.
