Hired To Be Mine

Chapter 19

The car hadn't even stopped completely and Nicole was already racing towards the house. She heard Salim call out to her, but she didn't stop. She couldn't, her kids were inside and so were her parents. That scary thought was enough to make her rush towards her boys.

Images flashed of the scary man, whose normal voice was over five octaves and when he yelled, it seemed like ear drums were getting punctured. She picked up her pace and sprinted towards the door as worry gripped her heart in a fist. Without bothering with the bell or a knock, she pushed the door open, and there they were. Sitting on the sofa settee, sipping what smelled like tea, as if they were regular guests to this house.

"Nicki", the woman dressed in a sky blue blouse and black toe length skirt whom once she regarded as her mother called, "How are you my baby", she walked towards Nicole opening her arms in a welcoming gesture. Did she forget how they abandoned her? Or did she assume that she did?

"What are you doing here?" Nicole snapped, making her halt in her approach. Marie Thornton's eyes widened at the tone her daughter just used against her. She couldn't remember when was the last time her timid and shy daughter regarded her so rudely.

"Don't talk to your mother like that", a gruff male voice snapped and her eyes wandered to the man sitting on the settee arrogantly, "Did you forget all your manners while you ran away?" Nicole regarded him with an cold look. She was least bit intimidated by that angry voice and piercing grey eyes, which belonged to the man who was her father, Robert Thornton. Unlike before when she was still under her father's care, now she wasn't scared of him, nor she felt like she owed it to him.

"Why are you here?" she asked in the same snappy tone, but this time her cold glare was directed towards her father. His eyes widened at the defiance of her daughter but he turned it into a glare,

"Why are you-", Robert cut Marie's speech, "We want to meet our grandchildren", he finished and just then the door behind her opened and footsteps echoed in. Salim, she thought in relief. Somehow his mere presence gave her an ounce of confidence and encouragement.

"No f*****g way you are meeting my kids", Nicole glared at both of them before her eyes flickered towards the boys' bedroom.

"How dare you?" Robert yelled at her in fury and took a step forward. Women weren't allowed to curse, according to the great Robert Thornton and if they did, that would mean punishment. Nicole gulped at the furious face, but stood rooted on her spot. Her hands felt clammy and suddenly she doubted her courage. Just when she was about to wail and cry pathetically in fear, a strong hand wrapped around her shoulders and warmth spread throughout her body. She sighed with relief at the silent support Salim projected,

"You will not meet my kids. Ever", she stressed the last word, when she heard her mother gasp and her father inhale in fury. Her own breathing was ragged and her chest was heaving heavily. She would rather die than let her kids anywhere near them, she vowed to herself. Images of her childhood, teenage years and adulthood flashed in front of her. The time when she was married, when she was widowed and later when she was abandoned, all came back to her at once strengthening her resolve.

"You heard her", Marco snapped and walked to the door, opening it wide enough as if silently asking them to leave,

"You rude inconsiderate wench!", her father spat in fury, while her mother looked like she was about to cry any moment. Nothing fazed Nicole. She wasn't a disowned daughter anymore. She was a mother. A mother of three young boys, who had a bright future ahead. She would never let anything shadow their future or taint their happiness, especially not her past. "You will ruin them with your upbringing", he yelled in anger.

Her eyes rolled towards their bedroom, where she was sure they were already awake with all the commotion. She was scared for they might come out and witness this ugly quarrel, but she noticed that Agatha wasn't in the living room and assumed that she was still inside with them, keeping them in bed. She sent a silent thanks to her and looked back at her parents who were seething in anger.

"She is a better parent than you've ever been", a cool composed voice spoke from beside her. Both her parents turned towards Salim, who stood beside her proud and confident.

"Who is he?" Marie cried, pointing an accusing finger at Salim,

"Oh, I am the father", even before Nicole could open her mouth, Salim spoke. Her head snapped to his grinning face and warmth spread all over her as she stared at his smile. Father? Did he really say that?

"What nonsense", Robert yelled snapping Nicole out of her blissful bubble, "Ray is the father of the boys", he said staring between her and Salim. No one said anything in reply as he continued to frown at them. And suddenly his eyes widened in surprise which morphed immediately into disgust. Nicole heard Marie gasp and saw that she was now covering her mouth with her palms, her eyes wide in shock,

"Why you shameless wench! Don't you have any shame left in you?" she flinched at the tone and felt Salim's grip tighten on her shoulder, "Your husband died not three years ago, you have three small babe's in your house and you are whoring around the city in the middle of the night?! Have you no shame at all? Is that how you are raising those boys?" he stepped forward clenching his fists tightly,

"Don't you dare", Salim stepped in front of Nicole as if shielding her from that angry man. "I won't hesitate snapping that neck of yours into two, if you speak another word against her", his voice cold and threatening. Goosebumps raised on her hands at the way he spoke.

"Enough you", Marco grunted and walked around them towards Robert. The cook was larger than the man both horizontally and vertically. He towered over Robert threateningly and gave one of his menacing glares, which made him gulp in fear.

Marco took the fear as an opportunity and grabbed his arm, to pull him out of the house. Marie wailed in protest behind Marco, but he was having none of it. He pulled Robert by his arm, until he was out on the street and let his arm go. He gave another warning glare to him and walked back into the house, slamming the door shut.

****

"There you go, sweety", Agatha offered a glass of dark chocolate to Nicole, while she stroked Zion's hair lovingly. All the three boys ran to her as soon as the couple was thrown out of the house. The tears which she was keeping at bay spilled out as soon as she hugged her kids to her chest.

Salim was right behind her in consoling her and the kids, who started crying as soon as they saw their mother's tears. He told a couple of scary stories to them, which they insisted until all three of them fell asleep. Salim sat with her, on the bunk bed as she continued to pat the boys to sleep. "Thanks", she whispered smiling at Agatha she added, "Go to bed Agatha, I am fine",

"Yeah", the older woman didn't protest and merely gave a smile to her and left to the guest bedroom.

"I think you should rest too", Salim placed his hand on hers and gave a squeeze to it,

"I don't want to leave their side", she whispered kissing Ray's forehead lovingly, as fresh tears squirmed in her eyes,

"Hey! I know you are worried. But worrying is not going to change anything", he took her face into his palms and kissed her forehead, "Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked carefully and she nodded. She knew that it was high time she tell him everything about her past.

"Yes", she whispered with a nod,

"Why don't you go to your room and finish that hot chocolate while its still hot? I will tuck the boys in and join you", he said with a smile and she complied.

****

Salim pulled the duvet over them up to their chins and tucked them in. All three of them slept peacefully, and Salim sighed. The sight of Nicole and boys crying together squeezed his heart painfully. He couldn't believe how easily it comes - worrying for someone you love.

He shook his head with a smile and walked out of the room, shutting the bedroom door close behind him. He turned off all the lights on his way towards Nicole's room.

She was sitting on the bed, with an empty glass in her hands and her head hung low. Salim didn't like seeing her like this, in so much pain and worry. He strode towards her and took her face in his hands. Her eyes looked up at him in surprise as he claimed her lips in a brief kiss.

It was slow and soothing, as his lips nibbled on hers, slowly. She sighed into his lips and he scooped her up into his arms and sat on the bed, pulling her onto his lap. They parted for breath and Salim rested his forehead on hers, "Everything will be fine", he whispered and Nicole nodded,

"Do you wanna talk?" he asked pulling away from her

"uh huh", she nodded but laid down on the bed and patted beside her. Salim scooted over to lay beside her, with a smile. He pulled her closer by her waist, so that her head rested on his chest. He gently stroked her hair; it was soft and silky, something he could get used to. A smile stretched on his face and he pecked her forehead,

She lifted her head up so that she was facing him, "Don't judge me okay. I was going through a lot and some of my decisions might sound stupid to you but..." he placed a index finger on her lips to silence her.

"I will never judge you", he said staring right into her eyes like he meant it.

"Well, if you say so", her eyes flickered down, before meeting his, once again, "I was born and bought up in a small town from south. It was small, not so famous and was filled with lots and lots of cattle and churches. All the people had same ideologies and mind set, I grew up in the same way. I was the only daughter of my parents, so obviously they loved me a lot. But I guess, the pressure of the society and tradition over-weighed their love for their daughter", she sighed and planted her cheek across his chest,

"I finished my high school in a catholic all girls school. I always had a passion for art, design and fashion. But obviously they were a big no in my family. The only way to get a degree of my choice was to get engaged. That's when my family received the proposal from the Doyle's family. Ray Doyle", she smiled at the mention of his name. It was stupid to feel jealous over a dead man, but Salim couldn't help it. He felt the tiny squeeze of his heart, and his hand around her waist tightened automatically,

"He was a good man. He was a firefighter; a lieutenant at our districts fire department. I told him that I wanted to study and he agreed with a smile. He wasn't that typical guy from south who would prefer his wife as a homemaker. He was good to me and in fact he was the one who talked our parents into agreeing for my college. I finished my degree, but even before that, when I was in my final semester we got married as our families insisted.

You see, everyone, except Ray was against my career. No one wanted me to study or work. After a month into our marriage, Ray passed away in duty. I.... I was so young and... And he was my rock", tears flowed from her eyes and Salim brushed them off,

"He would always tell me, 'No matter what happens, never compromise on your dreams' and that's the only thing in my mind when I decided to continue my career. There were a lot of fights in both the families. His parents were really mad at me when I told them my decision to go here and work. They said that I was the reason he died....", she trailed off, her eyes looking into space. He didn't push her and let her take some time to continue, "He believed in me, in my talent. He would always tell me not to give up and I just followed his words, because I know, that he would've wanted me to. So, I didn't listen to them. His parents called my parents and they were completely and utterly disappointed in me. They said that i was dead to them if I went on with my craziness. My dad was yelling at me, cursing me and my mom did nothing to stop him. He even went as far as slapping me", a dark chuckle escaped her lips and Salim's hand tightened. He was furious and if Nicole wasn't in his arms, he would have gone there and choked that man to death.

"I fainted that night. One slap was all it took and I fainted. Everyone thought that it was because of the stress, but I knew something was not right. I went to the doctor and got myself checked and that's when I discovered that I was pregnant.

I didn't want anyone to know, because I knew what would happen if they came to know about my baby. But unfortunately the town was too small to hide something. The word spread and they came to know about it.

Do you know what my mother in law said?" Nicole turned her head to Salim and looked him squarely in his eyes. He just shook his head, his throat suddenly feeling dry,

"She asked me to kill it. Two words from her mouth 'kill it' and that's it. She said that the baby was a bad omen, because Ray died as soon as it was conceived. I didn't understand half of what she was saying but her husband supported her completely. My parents were epic, because they thought it would be wise to not upset the Doyle's 'cause they just lost their son and asked me to abort the baby. Can you believe it?",

"I told them that I would rather die than kill my own baby. They yelled at me, called me a lot of ugly things and locked me in the house. I wasn't allowed to go out, meet anyone or talk to anyone; they thought that if I weep for my loss then God would lift the curse upon me..... don't ask", she held up a hand when Salim opened his mouth to interrupt,

"I have no f*****g idea, what the hell was that about", she shook her head.

"How did you get out?" he asked when she continued to remain silent.

"I was staying with my parents back then. Ray had good friends in the department. They came by to offer condolences. My parents were always good hosts, 'cause they were too worried about their reputation than anything so they let me meet them. When they saw me they were taken aback. I was thin, pale, lost a lot of weight and I basically looked miserable. They were sorry and tried to lighten up the mood. I asked them to stay for dinner and they agreed. When my parents were not around I told them what they were trying to do and how I needed to get out. I was desperate and said that I was even ready to file a legal complaint against them. At first they were all silent and honestly I didn't think they would help me at all. But the next day, the District chief of the fire department came along with cops and the Ray's friends. I didn't lie or hide anything from them. I told them everything, from the slap I received from my father to the point where my mother in law asked me to get an abortion. I told them everything and three days later, I'm in New York" she sighed.

"It was difficult you know. I didn't get my parents arrested in exchange of my freedom, and you know what they said? They said that they disown me. And my in-law's, the fire department took pity on them for losing their only son so even they were forgiven. I forgave them not because I was angry, but because I valued my baby and my freedom more than that.

You know, there were nights, when I used to cry myself to sleep. I didn't have enough money to eat, let alone get a doctor's appointment. But the city took pity on me. You won't believe how many jobs I was offered", she looked up at him with a smile.

"I worked as a cashier at a local deli from morning 8 to 1, then I worked as a nanny from 2 to 6 for a sixteen year old, then I worked as a baby sitter for an old lady from 8 to the rest of the night. She was an Alzheimer's patient and her son worked as night guard at the museum. He let me use a spare room and instead of the rent, I had to watch his mother during the nights. It was an easy job, 'cause most of the time that old lady would be either asleep or staring into the space. In just a few months, I gathered enough money for my first scan.

I was all alone, you know. Terrified to go into that room, but once I was in, my life completely changed. I got to know that I wasn't having one or two, but three kids. I wasn't scared, not at all. I was so happy and more determined than ever. I knew that these shift jobs wouldn't be enough for me and my kids so I determined to do something big.

I met Sim and she was just fired from another waitressing jobs. We both got along well pretty easily and she let me in on the profits a coffee shop makes every day. I thought why not start my own café. And that's how 'Amore' born. I went to the national bank, produced my certificates, got a loan sanctioned and voila!", she laughed. There was mirth in her eyes, along with pride and happiness.

"I came all the way from nothing to something, just for my boys and I won't let my parents take that away from me. I know they are old, and are just wishing to see their grand kids, but I don't think they deserve it. Every time I think of forgiving them, their words echo in my ears. I just think to myself, what if I gave in that day and killed my baby? What if I didn't ask for help from Ray's friends, then what? Where would I be?" she shook her head, "When I think of all those possibilities, that bitterness returns and I... I just can't forgive them, not yet.

No matter how much they regret, if at all they do that is and no matter how much they are dying to meet them, I won't let them. According to me, they don't deserve to meet my kids", she shook her head and snuggled deep into his chest.

They were silent for a while. She lay there on his chest, running fingers over his chest, while he stroked her hair soothingly. "Say something", she whispered, breaking the silence,

"I think your parents are mental", she laughed aloud hearing that and he joined in her laughter. When they finally sobered up from their laugh she looked at him, expectantly

"You were brave, not stupid", that's the only thing that came to his mind. He was thinking the same thing all the while, what if she did get an abortion and stayed in the same town? What would have happened to her, to them? Where would they be? And the thought of not having Nicole and the boys in his life felt empty ...and scary.

"I am glad for what you did", he added truthfully and they both looked into each other's eyes for a moment, before reaching for each other's lips. They kissed hungrily, savoring each and every inch of their mouths.

"Come with me" he whispered against her lips pulling away for a short breather,

"Where?" she chuckled softly, showering feathery kisses all over his face,

"Somewhere!" he kissed her soundly on her lips, "I planned something for you and the boys. Will you go with me?" he asked looking into her eyes deeply,

"Do you even have to ask?" she smiled mischievously, as his arms wrapped around her in a warm embrace.