His bodyguard Vincent, who had been badly injured in that helicopter attack, was fully recovered except for a slight limp as he opened the back passenger door for the boss. The new Harrison squeezed his arm, a gesture of his affection, as he got into the limousine. Then Harrison looked at Desmond, who also had a full recovery. “How are you, Des?”
“I’m good, sir. How was your trip?”
“Good. But I’m glad to be back home.”
“I understand that, sir,” Desmond said as Vincent closed the back passenger door and got in on the front passenger seat. And Desmond, with a police escort that consisted of two cops on motorcycles with their sirens blaring, took off.
When they arrived at his private entrance into The Shalimar, Vincent hopped out, opened the door for Harrison, and then he escorted his boss onto the elevator that took them all the way up to the penthouse.
Allan Durbee, Harrison’s house manager, opened the door as he made it up the corridor. “Welcome back, sir,” he said as he took Harrison’s briefcase.
“Where is she?” Harrison asked.
“Upstairs, sir.”
Harrison took the stairs two at a time as he made his way to the master bedroom. When he swept open the doors, his heart racing, he relaxed as soon as he saw Jayda, better knownas Mrs. Harrison Bainbridge the Fourth, sitting up in bed, her back against the headboard, looking like the queen of the world she was.
“I thought you’d never get here, sweetheart,” she said happily with her arms reaching out for him.
He smiled and hurried into her arms. He’d been in Europe on business, and hated that he had to go, but he didn’t hesitate flying back home when he got the word. And even though they’d been married for nearly a year, he truly only had eyes for his bride. Because he held her, his eyes tightly shut, for a very long time.
Until one of the babies hiccupped, and he realized he had more to see than just his beautiful wife.
And that was when he looked over and saw Agnes Robinson, Jayda’s mother, seated on the bed with her back against the headboard holding his brand-new baby: Harrison Arthur Bainbridge the Fifth, the one who had hiccupped as if he was never going to be outdone.
Jayda had asked her mother to come to New York to be with her during her pregnancy, and Agnes was thrilled to help. It was a long overdue, tearful reunion that Harrison was more than happy to facilitate.
But it wasn’t just Agnes that was now an integral part of the family. Seated next to her on the enormous king-sized bed was HB, who was spending more of his time in New York with Harrison, Jayda, and Agnes than he was at his own estate in Kennebunkport. But he wasn’t just sitting there. He was holding sweet Victoria Bainbridge, Harrison the Fifth’s twin sister and Harrison and Jayda’s second child.
When Harrison looked over at his newborn babies, in person for the first time, his heart was overwhelmed. “They’re so gorgeous,” he said as tears filled his glassy-green eyes.
“And they’re all yours,” HB said as he got off of the bed, walked around, and handed Vicky to her father.
Harrison was smiling from ear to ear, and so was Jayda, as he held his daughter for the first time. “Just gorgeous,” he said as he held his little brown baby girl.
But not to be outdone, Harrison the Fifth began crying. “Nobody’s taking the spotlight from this boy,” said Agnes, as she laughed and lifted the baby toward Harrison too.
Harrison, overjoyed himself, took his son into his arms as well.
“You got’em both?” Agnes asked concerningly.
But Jayda had total confidence in Harrison. “He’s got’em, Ma,” she said to her now-beloved mother. “He’s got all of us.”
And that was exactly how Harrison felt as he bounced his little babies and smiled at them. He felt like the king of the mountain. Like the king of the world. And it didn’t feel burdensome at all.
But HB was relieved that his son was back. He looked at Agnes, who had quickly become his road dog. “What you say we blow this joint, Agnes?” he asked his son’s mother-in-law. “What you say we hit the road and paint this town black?”
Jayda looked at them. “I thought you were supposed to paint towns red?”
“Red my foot,” said Agnes as HB helped her off of the bed. “We gonna paint this mother black!”
She and HB laughed. They had become thick as thieves. Two of a kind. Agnes made HB feel young again, and HB made Agnes feel special again. Her grown children, Jayda’s half-siblings, had nearly killed her with their craziness. When Jayda called and asked if she could come for an extended stay, she couldn’t get away from there fast enough. All of her grownchildren were locked up at the time for their various crimes and it was the perfect time to go.
And she was never going back. Jayda and Harrison had already told her so. And HB had already guaranteed her so. It was the first time she felt as if she was truly loved. They were her family now.
And when she and HB left to go have their own brand of fun, Jayda moved over and Harrison and their twins got on the bed beside her. He kissed her. Then they both looked adoringly at their new babies.
“Twins,” he said. “I couldn’t wait to meet them.”
