Chapter Twenty Two.

Miley.

"Miley where are you going?" Lucy asked following me around the hotel room confused,

"Miley?"

"Miley stop packing, where's daddy, why are you crying?" Her voice called pleadingly.

"Miley! Miley answer me? What's wrong?"

"Miley you're scaring me." Lucy whispered tearfully.

I stopped hearing her shaky voice and desperate plea as I looked at my arms filled with my clothes. I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned looking at Lucy shaking my head while my lip quivered, "I'm going home Lucy, back to L.A I'm sorry."

I gripped the steering wheel of my car the memory of eighteen hours ago still fresh in my mind. Lucy's big brown tear filled eyes still causing everything in me to ache. She was so devastated and I hated that I'd done that to her. I'd made my step daughter hurt and I didn't mean too, I didn't, but I couldn't explain to her why I was leaving, I left that task to Nick. So I bolted leaving both of them behind in Paris.

I looked at my phone pressing call as I slowly shifted it to my ear. It didn't even ring, just went straight to voicemail.

"Hey it's Nick Gray, I'm currently not available to take your call please leave your name and number after the beep..."

Beep

"Hey," I whispered climbing out of my car. "It's me..."

I closed my eyes chewing my lip, what was I supposed to say? I did just run off and leave him on our honeymoon alone.

"I'm assuming you probably found my note and you're on the jet right now coming home with Luce," I responded looking across the bright Los Angeles morning trying to find reason, "I'm sorry I just took off, I am, I just..."

I looked down unsure of what to say, how to explain to him. "I know I'm a coward Nick, and the second I got on that plane to come home I realised that it was like history was repeating itself. The thing is I'm not going to make the same mistakes twice." I walked down the street heading for sanctuary, "I love you, I love you so much and I was so angry in Paris, I was so mad..." I stopped pressing my hand on the florist window.

"I knew if I'd stayed it would most likely have ended in a huge fight that would have consumed both of us until we had said things we couldn't take back. So I had to leave Nick." I tried to explain myself chewing on my lip apologetic, "And I'm still mad at you Nick, but I'm not going to ignore you or make any crazy rash decisions I just need time to think."

I leaned on the window staring at the flowers inside, "I just need to process what you've done and understand what your motivations were that made you think that two wrongs make a right when in my life lessons they clearly don't. When I do understand completely, I'll call you okay?"

I pressed my hand to the door, "I love you Nick, I do."

I hung up and sucked in a breath feeling sick. I just felt so damn guilty about leaving them and worse I even felt a little guilty about Liam of all people.

I was confused, I needed reassurance and reasoning that's why I left and came here. My paradise where I found understanding. I opened the florist door needing an escape to a world of my design, to be amongst nature. It was midday and the second I walked in something seemed off, no one was here and the door bell didn't ring like normal. I looked up at it absently confused by it's silent nature as I stepped forward my eyes looking around, where the hell were my sisters?

"Hello? Anyone here?" I called out catching something else unsual,

Why was the closed sign out? It was a weekday, what the hell?

I stood for a moment anger bubbling adding to all my other emotions including the ever present jet lag. Those lazy ass bitches couldn't do anything without me, not even open the fucking store? It was then I heard voices talking out the back as I huffed and dropped my bag on the floor heading towards the back room opening the office door ready to give them a piece of my mind.

"What the hell?" I yelled instantly.

My eyes locked on Brandi as I just glared at her bewildered expression, "Miley you're-"

"What the hell? Why isn't the store open? You do realise this is our sole income, you get that right?" I screamed blindly.

"Miley whoa," Brandi hissed holding up her hands, "Just calm down-"

"Are you serious? You can't even run this place while I'm gone? It's not like it's hard!" I felt myself start yelling in a complete rage, my eyes skimming towards the other occupants of the room, my eyes falling on someone who I'd definitely never seen in my entire life as I tilted my head,

"Who the hell is he?" I spat looking at Brandi.

Her jaw clenched looking at me awkwardly, "Umm he's..."

"And now you can see why we don't want to work here anymore." I heard Noah's voice whisper.

I turned glaring at her confused, then at the man in a suit with greased back hair. "Who are you?" I asked him directly.

He looked at Brandi and stood up quickly holding his hand out,

"Bob Scorn," He announced as I took his hand.

"Miley," I responded analysing him.

"I know,"

He dropped my hand swallowing as he quickly grabbed some papers off the desk throwing them into his leather satchel.

"So what exactly are you doing here?" I repeated yet again.

"He's the families attorney Miley, we're just working out the final details of you owning this place now. That's all, right Brandi?" Emily suddenly butted in giving Brandi a look as I just stood there watching them interact, something was up. Brandi nodded her mind lost elsewhere, what was going on?

"Why don't I believe you?" I asked seriously.

"On that note I'll leave, girls it was pleasure as always." Mr. Scorn responded giving me a look, "Miley nice meeting you."

I just nodded as he swiftly moved from the room while I watched confused. Why was our attorney acting like he was hiding something? Hell why were my sisters acting the exact same way?

I turned back to them all shrugging, "What was that?"

Emily just smiled at me, "We told you-"

"I want the fucking truth, what the hell is going on?" I yelled at them.

"More importantly why are you here? Shouldn't you be in France?" Noah interrupted.

I turned staring down at my little sister, "Shut your mouth Noah or I swear to God I will-"

"What?" Noah hissed at me smirking, "What will you do? You can't do anything to me? You aren't my parents."

I just looked at her disgusted, "I'm your sister and employer so you will do-"

"Actually about that," Noah stated smugly reaching down for a envelope on the table.

"Noah, don't,"

Brandi lunged but Noah shoved her back my little sisters eyes still locked on mine, "I'm not taking this anymore, I hate working here! I hate flowers! I hate you telling me what to do all the fucking time! We all do Miley, and you coming in here now is just the icing on the cake of why I'm handing you this." Noah announced throwing the envelope at me.

"I quit and so do Brandi and Emily. You're on your own."

Noah just stood there and stared at me with this smug little evil look on her face that made me want to slap her. Yet I didn't because I was completely frozen. Quit? They were leaving me here, alone? I turned opened mouthed looking towards Emily and Brandi bewildered who both stood in their aprons looking at me apologetic and scared.

"Oliver got offered this huge job in San Francisco, and he really wants to take it, actually so do I." Em began.

"And you know I only did this for mom..." Brandi tried to explain.

"And we love the flowers, we do, but not like you." Emily continued apologetic. "We love the money, but you, you really love this place and it's so hard for us because we're not enjoying being here. Especially not with you owning it, I mean we love you as a sister but-"

"You are like a dictator." I heard Noah hiss.

"Noah," Brandi snapped her eyes turning back to me.

"Miley we're sorry, we can't work here anymore." She finished.

I heard the sob before I felt it, because suddenly my sanctuary was gone. Not just gone, destroyed. Brandi instantly reached out to me as I started crying. Any other day I'm sure I would have been more reasonable but this just hurt so bad. I felt like they were betraying me too. That everyone I loved just continually wanted to hurt me.

"Miley please don't cry, it's okay we'll help you find new staff-"

"Like hell I will." Noah murmured.

"Noah go to the car,"

"No!"

I felt more tears fall as I covered my face embarrassed how could they leave me? This was our family business I thought we'd always be in this all together, forever.

"Oh my god," I heard Emily hiss.

"What?"

My left hand was suddenly dragged from my face as Emily looked at my ring finger then at my face furious.

"You got married?" She screamed at me.

I felt myself choke unable to speak as Brandi's eyes looked at the ring then at me.

"You didn't tell us?" Emily continued, "You-"

"Why are you so surprised?" Noah hissed giving a mocking laugh, "She's selfish."

That was the breaking point. I pulled my hand back and turned my back rushing into the opposite cool room slamming the door and locking it as my sisters instantly attacked. I listened to them screaming at me as I slid down the door crying because it had taken them to make me see...

I was the bad guy, I was always the bad guy.

Nick.

"Daddy can you tell me what happened with Miley?"

Lucy looked up at me, her legs crossed in the back of my driver's car. I sat alongside her in a sleep deprived daze. I wanted to tell her but I didn't exactly know what to say to Lucy, she was just a kid after all. I leaned forward tucking a loose curl behind her ear giving a weak smile.

"We just had a fight Luce, it'll be okay." I responded looking away.

"She was crying when she left daddy, Miley didn't seem okay."

I turned back to Lucy and nodded in agreement, "No she didn't seem okay, but in her letter Mi said she just needed some time alone." I smiled at Lucy trying to be okay for her sake, "And I'm going to give her that Luce. I'm sure it'll be okay."

"Just say you're sorry dad." Luce proclaimed looking at me almost innocently.

I wrapped my arm around her kissing Luce's head, "Sometimes sorry isn't enough Lucy."

Her expression dropped as she looked out the window and I closed my eyes sighing. I didn't know how to feel right now, because part of me didn't understand why Miley had acted like that. I mean I did this for her, I did it to keep her safe, yet by the way she reacted it was like I'd personally attacked her. At the same time I could comprehend why she was so terrified, Miley thought she might lose me if this came out and right now I was feeling the same way towards her.

"Did you call mom and tell her we came home early?" Lucy suddenly asked.

I looked at Lucy blankly as she frowned, "Mom, did you call her?"

I groaned shaking my head, "No, crap I didn't. I will now." I pulled out my phone turning it on as I watched the messages quickly fill my screen, one in particular catching my eye.

"Miley called you, that's good right?" Lucy hissed eagerly looking over my shoulder.

"I don't know,"

I pressed voicemail as I patiently sat through the messages one by one until finally it got to the one I wanted to hear. I listened to her voice at first not the words, she sounded tired to no surprise much like myself I doubt she had slept. Her words on the other hand sounded nervous, worried and confused yet I heard what Miley was saying.

"What did she say?" Lucy asked once I hung up.

"Pretty much what she wrote in the letter, and that she's sorry she left you, us."

Lucy just stuck her lip out glaring out the window, "Well if she thinks that's a good enough apology she's wrong. I'm not talking to Miley until she says it to my face." My daughter announced clearly hurt. I nodded in agreement, I wasn't accepting her apology for fleeing either because I saw it as childish.

"Dad call mom." Luce spat at me as I nodded,

"Right, of course."

I reluctantly pressed call on Selena's number as she answered relatively quickly for a change,

"Nick please tell me this call is just for Lucy's sake because I-"

"I'm about to drop Lucy off at your house, you home?" I asked interrupting my ex's rude manner.

There was silence for a second as I could almost see the curiosity in Selena's eyes, "I am home," She responded her words hanging for a moment, "But why are you dropping her off? Honeymoon already over? Or is something more serious over, like your relationship with Miley?"

"It's none of your business,"

Selena gave a small laugh, "No it's not, but you just confirmed my suspicions wow Nick what did you do this time?"

"What makes you think it was me who did something wrong?" I asked tense.

"Hmmm interesting. Miley finally realised you aren't the man you said you were?"

"Like I said it's none of your business Selena."

"I hope she gets half of everything in the divorce, might teach you a lesson."

With that the line went dead as I huffed and I noticed Lucy looking down. I leaned over kissing her head again.

"It'll be okay Luce, I promise I'll work it okay?" I whispered as she nodded unconvinced.

Ten minutes later we pulled up outside Selena's house as Lucy jumped from the car and slammed the door before I could even utter a goodbye. I redirected my driver to Joe's home, knowing well enough he'd be at work but that was exactly what I wanted, him out of the picture and my pregnant sister in law's full attention. When I arrived at the house I started doubting my decision, Demi already had so much on her plate I didn't want to make it worse.

I was just about to yet again tell my driver to change plans again, when the front door opened and Demi stomped out with a now very prominent bulging stomach giving me one dirty look motioning for me to get in the house.

"Thanks, I'll be here a while so feel free to leave." I said to my driver,

"No problem Sir."

I walked up as she stood there watching me as I hesitantly smiled, "You look-"

"Seven months pregnant, yeah well I am! Now what the fuck is going on?" Demi snapped at me.

I looked at her awkwardly, "I'm sorry we didn't tell you about the wedding-"

Demi laughed at me mockingly, "Nick that ain't the immediate problem anymore, the fact you and Miley are suddenly back and not together is a far more pressing issue. Oh and the fact Brandi just called me terrified because Miley's decided to lock herself in the cool room and is sobbing,"

My eyes widened, "What- she what?"

Demi motioned for me to come in looking frustrated, "Brandi, Emily and Noah quit and-"

"They what?" I hissed as Demi slammed the door.

"Let me finish!" She growled.

I nodded obediently as Demi put her hands on her stomach, "And they called me to try and convince Miley to come out. I eventually did, but during that time it became very obvious her sister's weren't the only reason she was crying. So tell me what happened? Because right now I'm terrified this is heading towards the quickest marriage ever."

Demi looked at me rubbing her stomach as I sighed, "Okay well it's a long story-"

"You've got two months, go." Demi announced waddling towards the lounge room as I followed ready to spill my guts.