Chapter 24 – Birthday Surprises

“How long has he been out for?” Nellie asked.

The guests had already arrived, and it had been an hour since Mordecai passed out. The twins were called to come and carry him away, but even they were shocked to see my father, and even more shocked to learn that he’s my biological father.

“An hour now,” I sighed as I turned the air conditioner on in the room. Maybe that would help.

“I can’t believe your father is thee Hershel Haskins. How do you not tell us something that big sis?” Jacob asked.

“It has everything to do with my past, which I don’t entertain, but that’s where it’s staying now. My dad and I made peace,” I replied.

“And Angel?” Nellie asked.

“The three of us,” I agreed as Mordecai stirred. My brothers and Nellie left us alone in the room.

“Hey baby,” I said as I sat next to him.

He groaned and sat up. “I had the weirdest dream. You were dressed in this exact same dress and you told me that your name is Beverly Haskins, and Hershel Haskins was here.”

“Baby, it wasn’t a dream,” I said warily. His eyes shot to me so fast, I was sure he’d get whiplash.

“It wasn’t? He’s really here? He’s your biological father?” he asked lowly.

“Yes, yes and yes! He’s very excited to talk to you. I told him all about your movie idea and he wants in on it. That’s my second birthday gift to you,” I smiled as I caressed his cheek. He looked at me with so much confusion and love.

“Marry me,” he breathed.

I scowled. “What?”

He got off the bed and shuffled before producing a box from his jacket. He opened it, and inside were four bands. One ring was a male ring, two of the bands were single diamond bands, and the last ring was the white gold ring with a big rounded square diamond on it.

He went on one knee before me.

I gasped. “Those are wedding rings.”

“Do you trust me?” he asked.

“Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?” I asked.

“Wear them,” he said.

“What, the rings?” I asked. He nodded.

“Why?” I panicked.

“Just please wear them. It’s the last thing you’ll ever have to do for me for the rest of our lives,” he pleaded.

“Ok,” I whispered.

He took my hand and put the rings on the right finger. They glimmered beautifully under the light in the room. He looked to me expectantly, and I nervously grabbed the male band and slipped it onto his rightful finger as well.

“You are it for me Beverly. I’ll never love anyone the same way I love you, except maybe our kids, and even then it will be a different kind of love. I have never had anyone do any of the things that you have done for me. I have never had anyone care about me as much as you do, and I promise you, as your husband, that I will cherish and love you forever,” he said strongly before kissing me.

My husband?

As much as I was overwhelmed by everything, the tears didn’t stop themselves from appearing. I cried in our kiss because I was so happy and confused. I wasn’t sure about what had just happened, but I also wasn’t entirely concerned.

“You’re crazy,” I whispered when we pulled apart.

He smirked. “I know.”

“I love you,” I giggled.

“I love you more than you will ever know,” he said before pecking my lips.

“We have to go downstairs. Your guests are waiting for you,” I informed.

“Well, you have to reapply your lipstick first,” he said cheekily.

“And you have to wipe it off of your lips,” I purred.

“That was so hot,” he groaned.

“We’re not doing this,” I giggled.

We managed to keep our hands from each other. I wiped my lipstick off of his lips, before reapplying it onto my lips. We walked out hand in hand, and I was giddy, knowing that we had the rings on. I was wondering who would notice first, and by the looks on Nellie, Whitney, Fernando and Shawna’s faces, they were the first.

“OH MY GOD!” Whitney squealed. Mordecai shook his head at her and she nodded, but she still had the stupid grin on her face.

“Can we go try that intro with your father again?” he asked me.

“Sure!” I smiled before leading him that way. My father looked warily at us as we approached him, especially since he was standing with Meghan.

“I promise I won’t faint again,” Mordecai said with a nervous chuckle.

“You gave us quite the scare son. We thought it was something else,” my father admitted.

We had thought it was another heart attack.

“Nope! I’m good. It’s an honour to meet you Sir,” Mordecai kept his cool as he reached out to shake my father’s hand.

My father was about to do the same, but he froze midway, his eyes narrowing in on the ring on Mordecai’s left hand. His eyes shifted to my left hand, which I failed to hide in time, before he looked up at Mordecai in accusation.

I remember how I used to tremble under that gaze.

“Is there anything you’d wish to tell me?” he asked Mordecai.

“We’re married,” Mordecai said confidently.

Well someone is just staring death right in the eyes.

My father turned to me. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“We didn’t tell anyone. You’re the first to know,” I admitted. It was half a lie since we weren’t really married.

“Are you happy?” my father asked me.

I nodded. “The happiest I’ve ever been.”

He turned to Mordecai. “Community of property?”

Mordecai nodded. “Yes Sir.”

“No prenuptial nonsense?” he asked.

Mordecai shook his head. “No Sir.”

“Take care of my baby girl Mordecai. I’m pretty sure you know about us and our history. I failed her. Don’t make the mistakes I made,” my father told him.

“I promise you on my life Sir,” Mordecai said sternly.

“Then it’s a pleasure to meet you too,” my father chuckled, shaking his hand.

“I told him you’d do the movie,” I mentioned.

“Ah yes! Beverly told me about Satan, and since she’s not your agent, then I’m in,” my father said.

Mordecai laughed. “She’s got you calling her Satan too?”

“It’s very catchy, and ever so fitting,” my father smirked.

“There you are!” we heard behind us. I was shocked to see Satan herself there.

“Can I talk to you?” she asked me.

“I’m in the middle of something,” I replied.

“It can’t possibly be more important than what I have to talk to you about,” she scoffed.

“It actually is,” Mordecai told her before moving aside to reveal my father. Her eyes widened.

She gasped. “Hershel Haskins!”

“Hello Judith,” my father played along.

She turned to me. “How the hell did you get him to come?”

“Judith, meet my father Hershel Haskins. Daddy, meet Judith Livingston, Mordecai’s manager,” I managed to say sweetly.

She choked on air. “Your father?”

“You just always assumed I was an insignificant speck in Mordecai’s life,” I commented as I shrugged.

She shook her head just as my guests arrived. “This is impossible!”

“Whatever you’d like to believe. Please excuse me,” I excused myself before heading over to Whitney.

So, Whitney and I came up with this idea of rewarding Mordecai’s most beloved fans, by getting them exclusive attendance to his party. We had a competition running on her blog for fifteen lucky winners. They had to submit a video telling us why they love Mordecai. We chose our winners, and they’re staying over at one of my father’s other houses with Nellie. I paid for all their travel expenses.

Well, ‘we’ did.

“Hey guys!” I greeted them. I had told them to dress in all white so that I could tell them apart from the other guests.

“Beverly! Thank you so much for this opportunity! You have no idea what this means to us!” one girl, Skylar, said with tears in her eyes. She’s from Australia.

“You guys mean the world to Mordecai, so I wanted to do this for you and for him. Whitney will direct you on where you have to go. I need to get this party on the road,” I smiled at them.

I hugged them each before Whitney walked away with them. Most of the guests were outside, where the whole party was actually happening. I walked up to my father, Meghan and Mordecai and asked them to please head outside.

Once everyone was outside and seated at the tables, I went up to the stage, gathering all my courage at the same time.

“Good evening to you all. Recently, I was introduced to the world as Beverly Rhymes, and while that has been my name for the past twelve years, it isn’t my legal name. Due to some personal issues, I changed it, so I’d like to reintroduce myself to you all. My name is Beverly Haskins, and welcome to Mordecai Hart-Tedder’s 30th birthday celebration,” I introduced. There was clapping and Mordecai sent me a wink.

“Once again, as the world has come to know, I am Mordecai’s partner. It makes me so happy to see him looking the way that he does right now. A lot of people have told me that I’ve made the biggest impact on his life, but I’m not the only one. His changes are more noticeable because he’s under the public eye, whereas two weeks ago, I was known as just a nurse at a private hospital. He’s changed my life in more ways than anyone can imagine. Once I got to know him better, I knew that he was a man worth all the love in the world, and he’s made me feel like a woman who deserves all the love in the world. He has changed my life, and I honestly can’t see myself ever loving anyone else,” I said as the tears left my eyes. The ladies cooed.

“Look at me getting all emotional,” I laughed a little, making the crowd smile as Mordecai came up onto the stage. He stood next to me and took my hand in his, while the other stayed on the small of my bare back.

“Kai, you’ve told me many times that you don’t know how you survived without me for so long, and honestly, I feel the same way. I know a new kind of happiness, peace and love with you, and I am so grateful to God for blessing you with thirty wonderful years. I hope he blesses you with a thousand more, so that you may continue to spread your love and goodness to the world, but I wish more than anything, that I’ll be right there with you until the very end. I love you baby,” I said. He wiped away my tears with a smile on his face before leaning down to kiss me.

While the crowd erupted with loud cheers and applause, Mordecai was the only person who mattered to me in that moment. I wasn’t even bothered by the fact that I’d just bared my heart out to everyone, including reporters who I’d invited on condition they behave and don’t interview anyone.

“I love you too gorgeous, so much,” he smiled on my lips before we pulled apart.

“I have one more surprise for you,” I told him, speaking into the microphone.

He chuckled incredulously. “Really?”

“Yep! You see those lovely ladies and gentlemen in white over there?” I said as I pointed to them where they excitedly waved. Mordecai sent them a smile.

“Well, they are your biggest fans, and you mean the world to them. We ran a competition where your fans had to submit videos on why they love you, and these fifteen lucky ladies and guys are the winners. They’re from all over the world. These are their video submissions,” I said before the videos started playing on the huge screen set up in the background.

Mordecai and I quickly grabbed our seats, and for the next hour, we watched the video submissions. They were really the cutest and most heart-warming things. I could even tell that Mordecai was touched by the sheer love his fans possess for him. By the time the videos finished, there were tears in his eyes, which he blinked away.

“Well, that was heart warming to watch even the second time round,” I said once I was back on the stage. The audience seemed to agree with me.

“Sorry I’m late,” a voice said from the door. Mendel was standing there in a pure white dress.

“Aaaaw, you’re here as a fan girl too!” Whitney said excitedly.

She’s so evil.

Mendel frowned as everyone watched on. “What are you talking about?”

“You must obviously be here as a fan girl because everyone else got the memo to wear black and gold. Mordecai’s biggest fans have the honour of wearing white tonight,” Whitney explained as though she were talking to a toddler.

“I’m not here as a stupid fan girl!” Mendel snapped.

“So you’re admitting to gate crashing then?” Nellie asked her. She blushed furiously.

“I was invited! My invitation got lost in the mail!” Mendel said.

“Sure it did,” I said sarcastically. She glared my way and I sent her a smile.

“Everyone, those who were actually invited, thank you all for coming. I hope you enjoy your night. Any gifts you have for the birthday boy, you can give to my twin brothers Jacob and Jackson over there,” I said as I pointed to my brothers, who raised their hands.

“Enjoy your night everyone,” I said before the music was played.

Satan pulled me aside before I could get to Mordecai, and I figured I might as well listen to whatever she had to say. I led her to my father’s study because it’s one of the only rooms in the house with secret surveillance cameras, thanks to the twins.

“I will hand it to you little girl, I underestimated you,” she said.

Well then.

“Get to the point Judith!” I snapped.

“I want you to back off!” she said.

“I’m not going anywhere if Mordecai doesn’t say so, and he wants me right where I am,” I told her.

“Is this about his money? How much will it take to make you go away?” she asked.

“You’re really stupid. I’m surrounded by money even without Mordecai,” I reminded.

“Then what is it? Fame?” she asked.

I scowled. “Does the fact that we’re in love not register to you?”

“Mordecai doesn’t do love, so try again,” she scoffed.

“You’re a delusional woman and I’m done with you,” I told her before leaving the room, only to bump into Satan Number Two.

“You and that little bitch think you got one up on me huh?” Mendel asked.

I shrugged passed her. “You weren’t invited. You should’ve seen it coming.”

“Are you ok?” Mordecai asked when I got to him. He looked like he’d been looking for me.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” I smiled.

“Good!” he kissed me.

“Have you spent time with your fans yet?” I asked.

“I was about to when I saw Mendel follow you and Satan in. I knew you could handle yourself with Satan, but I didn’t think an ambush would go down well,” he said shyly.

“I’m fine baby,” I said, smiling.

He smirked. “I can see that now genius.”

After earning himself a glare from me, he kissed me one last time before heading out to his fans. I wanted him to spend at least an hour with them. I went in search of my brothers and found them accepting gifts from the different guests. There were friends, family and colleagues of Mordecai.

“Hey sis!” the twins beamed.

“Hey dorks!” I replied.

“How are things? We saw Satan pull you away,” Jackson asked.

I laughed. “I guess the Satan thing has stuck on everyone huh?”

“If the shoe fits you know?” Jacob joked.

“Same thing my father said,” I replied laughing once more.

Jackson glared at me. “Your awesome father that you never told us about by the way.”

“It’s complicated guys,” I sighed.

Jacob rolled his eyes. “This is not Facebook Bev.”

“Ok, ok! Get inside,” I told them, referring to the room where they were putting the gifts.

I laughed when we found Angel sitting in the corner of the room with a tub of ice-cream. She joined us as I told the twins everything about my past. They’re my brothers and they needed to understand why I hid everything from them. They needed to understand my relationship with my father and my sister. By the time I was done, they were stunned.

“Damn Bev! You’re fucking strong for going through all that and still being this awesome,” Jacob was the first to comment.

“Barely,” I blushed.

“It’s true sis. That’s a lot to go through, especially since you went through that other thing as well,” Jackson added.

“I guess when you put it that way,” I sighed. Before they could say anything, my phone rang. It was an international number that I didn’t know.

“Beverly, hello?” I answered.

“Hello Lee,” he replied. A chill ran through my bones.

“Walter,” I said. The twins’ faces twisted into anger.

“I’m just letting you know that we’re coming back,” he replied.

“When?” I asked.

“Next week,” he said.

“And?” I asked.

“She stays,” he responded. The relief that flooded through me was incredible.

“Can I talk to her now?” I asked.

“She’s asleep. Besides, you already talked to her yesterday,” he pointed out.

“I talk to her every day Walter. Don’t be stupid,” I replied.

“Whatever! Check you,” he said before hanging up.

“What did the asshole have to say now?” Jackson asked.

“They’re coming back next week,” I informed.

“Well that’s fantastic news,” Angel beamed.

“I haven’t told Mordecai yet,” I informed them.

“Bev!” Angel glared at me. She was pretty pissed off when I told her about it.

“This isn’t something you should’ve kept hidden for so long,” Jacob pointed out.

“Do you think he’ll leave me?” I asked.

“He’d have to be an asshole of note, which I doubt he is, but you must remember that he will have the right to be angry when you tell him,” Jackson replied.

“Which you have a week to do,” Jacob added.

“I guess. I’ll have to ask my father if I can stay with him during the time Mordecai is mad at me,” I sighed.

“I doubt it will get that bad, but do what you must when the time comes,” Jackson said.

“And speaking of your father, we think it’s only fair that you share him with us as well,” Jacob smirked, instantly making me feel better as I started laughing. Even Angel had a laugh at that one.

“You’re full of it,” I giggled before getting up.

“We love you Bev, I hope you know that,” Jacob smiled.

“And remember it,” Jackson added.

“And you already know you’re my better half,” Angel smirked.

“I know. I love you guys,” I said before hugging them.

I left the room in search of all three of my parents. I had managed to open up to my father and tell him about the part of my life I’m not particularly proud of. I found the three of them sitting with some guests, and when they saw me, they could tell I needed to talk. I turned back to head into the house and heard them excuse themselves.

“What’s wrong lollypop?” my father asked as they walked into the study.

“They’re coming back next week,” I said. I knew they’d know who I was talking about.

“To stay?” my dad asked. I nodded.

“Well darling, that’s wonderful news. Why do you look so crestfallen though?” my mom asked.

“I still haven’t told Mordecai,” I said before biting my lip.

“Lollypop, that man loves you. He’ll understand,” my father replied.

“I agree with Hershel on this one pumpkin. You need to trust your relationship, and trust him to not react in the way that I’m sure you’ve already thought is the way he’ll react,” my dad added.

“I guess,” I sighed.

“When do you plan on telling him?” my mom asked.

“I guess the sooner, the better. I’ll do it tomorrow,” I decided.

“Good on you sweetheart!” she smiled.

I felt better once I’d spoken to my family about this. It was a relief to know that they all knew and were behind me. Now, I just needed to tell the most important person.

He was sitting with his fans still by the time I found him. The pure joy on his face had me smiling to myself as I watched them from afar. He laughed, and even his laugh was the most sincere one. It was rich and hearty. He was truly enjoying himself. I sneaked up behind him, showing the fans not to say anything.

“Are you ok?” I whispered in his ear, making him jump.

“Don’t do that,” he scolded while the fans chortled.

“Sorry! The opportunity presented itself and I took it,” I smiled.

“I’m ok, except for the slight burning in my chest,” he said.

“When did it start?” I asked, well aware of the fact that we were having this conversation in front of his fans.

“Just before I got here. It’s getting stronger, so I wanted you to know,” he replied.

“Is it getting rapidly stronger?” I asked.

He nodded. “Right now it is.”

“Ok, let me go and get my dad,” I told him. He nodded before turning back to the visibly worried fans.

I was about to go back into the house when I noticed a man coming in with a little boy. The little boy is so adorable with his curly hair.

“MOMMY!” he screamed before running for me. He wrapped his tiny arms around my legs, while I looked down at him in confusion. The music had stopped and everyone was looking my way, Mordecai included.

“Bev?” he questioned, though he sounded a little breathless. The man handed me an envelope, which I took and read the letter.

I gasped. “Oh my God!”

“What is it?” Mordecai asked, his face twisting in pain.

“He’s your son,” I said. Everyone gasped and looked as shocked as I was.

Mordecai paled. “What?”

“Loraine committed suicide two days ago. This is your son,” I said.

For the second time that night, Mordecai collided with the ground.