Trust, Hope, and Love

Chapter 26:

Chapter 26:

"Hello, I'm Nicole Daring. I'm a therapist." Standing over Espen, Nicole has her hand stretched out and a pearly white smile with piercing blue eyes.

"Espen Reynolds..."

"John told me about what happened. I'm so sorry." Sitting in the library of the mansion, Espen feels out of place being alone with a strange beautiful woman, who may or may not have had relations with John.

"It's okay...um...how do you know John?" She curiously asks and the woman laughs slightly, before grinning madly.

"We've worked together many times..."

"Oh..."

"Now, let's get started. He said you weren't sleeping. Are you having nightmares?"

"Yes. I close my eyes and Miles is there...how long have you two known each other?" Is she jealous? She can't put her finger on it, but she might be jealous of this woman.

"We went to high school together. Now, have you been eating properly?" Writing on her note pad, Nicole can't help but secretly enjoy the tension.

"Yes...were you two good friends?"

"Let's just say, I should be where her sitting." Killer bees are territorial. So are wolves, lions, and even pigs. Espen, usually only territorial around Jamie, is now fuming with a natural instinct to beat the shit out of this woman. "When you have nightmares, are you recounting what actually happened or are you filling in the edges with some made up things, like abuse, or other people, different schematics?"

"Were you two a thing?"

"I can see we're caught up on details. Huh..." She sighs before flicking her blonde hair away from her face. "We fucked. Several times. Could've become something if he hadn't stolen Eméline, that French whore, from Nathaniel. Hell, after he lost her, I could've been his. Were were fucking up until four months ago. The only problem is, you came along and fucked this all up. But what am I saying, he always had a thing for pathetic little woman like you, with a sad sob story and battering blue eyes. Yer just another moment of his time. I doll for him to play with."

She sticks out her lip in a pouting motion and Espen furrows her eyebrows.

"John's only in this for personal reasons. He can't get past his sad pathetic past, let alone dead wife."

Standing up defensively, Espen's ready to pounce, but Jamie comes running in to her.

"Mommy! Daddy made breakfas!" Eyes widening and mouth dropping to the side a bit, Nicole glowers at the sight of the small boy.

"Isn't that cute." She mumbles under her breath and stands to leave. As he walks out, John is starting to walk in, when he feels the wall of tension. "Bye, Johnny."

Leaning over, he kisses him on the lips and stands shocked before wiping it off and finds Espen staring at him with tearful eyes and flushed cheeks.

"Espen..." Shaking her head, she rushes passed him, wiping her eyes and moving faster than he can catch her. Looking at Jamie, who is staring up at him, John puts his hand out and the small boy takes it. Walking hand in hand, John leaves Jamie in the kitchen with Alma and goes up to his room, only to find she's not there. Going to Jamie's room, he opens it up and notices her sorting and folding the boys clothes. "Espen, ba..."

"Don't...just don't."

"Sweetheart, what went on? I didn't kiss her, you saw that. I didn't know she was going too."

"No, you didn't kiss her. I know that...but you been fucking her up until I got here and then invite her to try to help me like it's nothing." Crying, Espen is now putting the clothes in boxes and John can sense this whole thing going down hill fast.

"Huh...Espen, I..."

"Do you know what she said about Eméline? Do you know what she said about you?" She pause and then growls before putting more and more clothes in the box. "She called her a French whore and basically said she was glad she died so she could be yers! She went on to say you only are with me cause I'm the thing that reminds you of yer pathetic old life and you'll get rid of me when yer done playing some dumb game."

"Espen, it's true, we had relations...but she's wrong about how I feel about you. She's conniving. I thought she would help you, not let some silly infatuation take over. I thought she'd be professional." He steps forward and Espen backs up with her hands up. "Espen, please believe me...I love you and..."

"I can't..." She weakly says as she crashes to the ground, head bent and tears hitting the carpet. Going to her, John curls his body around her backside and holds her close around her stomach.

"I was on the streets my whole life...I was an orphan with Nate...I don't even think he's really my brother." He pauses and Espen slowly stops crying. "We were in and out of foster care, they'd beat us and treat us like rats. We stuck together because it was safe and we went to high school with Nicole....she wasn't nice, but she took care of me-gave me food, stole money to buy me and Nate clothes. She said the only way I could pay her back was to sleep with her...she was a senior at the time and I was only a freshman, so I was stupid and naive."

Looking at the floor, Espen can hear the pain in his voice.

"Nate and I left foster care after two years in high school. I got into fighting for money and one day there was broken glass in the ally and the guy I was fighting beat me down into it. Cut up my shoulder really bad. I didn't have any desire to go to the hospital so I stitched it up the best I could. After shit went down, I wanted to become a doctor to help Nate when he got sick. I fudged some document to look like I graduated high school and got a free ride to Louisiana University. I stole some guys future...made it my own and now I'm this...I figure the only way I could make up from my terrible doings was to hire people who had my past and help them. Found Alma being beat by her husband and hired her as a cook. He was terrible when she first started. No manors and no kitchen skills. Ivan was a Russian vagrant who came here running from the Russian mob. Made him security. Vince was a war vet who lost everything to some fuck out in Jersey. He's now my gardener. Helen, well he was just a woman who needed a place to stay so I made her my grounds keeper. And Miles...well he was homeless... I never got his background and I should've. I'm sorry for that."

Sitting up, with his arms still around her midsection, John feels so much better letting the truth out.

"So was I just another sob story for you to get rid of yer guilt?" She cries and John feels his chest constrict.

"Espen, I'll admit when Alma found you...yes....but when I first met you down at the piano, I never thought I'd ever meet someone as beautiful and caring as you."

"What about Eméline? Was she just another one of us?" Her words are hurtful and yet truth finding.

"Nate went to France...he snuck on a plane and went trying to find himself. He found Espen one night, dressed up in tattered clothing and beat to hell. She was a prostitute... She owed a lot of money to this guy and was going to be shot if she didn't pay it. She was pregnant and Nate took a liking to her. He made illegal papers and snuck her back in. I was already making my fortune when he brought her to me and asked to take care of her while he went to try and get in Law school...I didn't mean to fall for her. I fell for the lie that that baby was mine and that she was too. I married her behind Nate's back and...you know the rest."

"Yer repeating history." She cries and stands up, moving away from him.

"No, Espen..."

"You are. You've fallen into the same lie with Jamie and I. You...you don't love me, John...You're playing us..." Going to her, he back her into the wall, not trying to scare her, but he is.

"Espen, I do love you. I can't make that up. I love you so much. You have to believe me." He holds her close and just keeps crying and trying to escape. He sinks to his knees and holds her around her stomach. "Please...I love you and Jamie."

"I can't do this..." She breaks away from him and grabs the box of Jamie's clothes and his bear and goes downstairs, leaving him alone upstairs.