Page 108 of The Story of Me
I’m angry with the way he’s just spoken to me, the way I was just dismissed, but at the same time, I understand how stressed he must be. If she’s being discharged later today, he needs to act fast. My phone rings and it’sher. What the fuck does she want?
“I saw you, you bitch. On the television, telling them how you and Cameron plan on starting a family. Why don’t you just go and bury yourself in that big hole with your husband. Cam has a child. He has a child with me. His and my flesh and blood. You will never have that with him, you can never have what we’ve got.”
“Good morning, Tamara. Glad you enjoyed the interview. What can I do for you?” My hands shake and my legs have turned to jelly as I try to control the anger welling inside of me. Fuck, I’m seriously getting good at this self-control shit.
“Why don’t you just leave us alone, go away and let us be a family, a real family. I’m coming home today and I don’t know if Cam has told you yet, but he and I are moving into the penthouse together, with the baby of course. Our son, our little boy. Didn’t you have one of those once? Oh, of course you did, then that big bad car came along and ended it all. Oh, well.” And there ends my new found self-control.
“Listen to me, you stupid, insane bitch, Cam is with me. We’ve bought a home together, a home in which we will be raising not only your son in a safe and sane environment, but also the other two children we are currently expecting. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, Tamara, but I happen to have a fully functioning ovary and the eggs from that ovary have been mixed with Cam’s sperm, and now we have two, yes two, surrogates pregnant with our babies. So do yourself a massive favour, sweetheart, and get your fucking facts straight. Cam and I are together and we are staying together. Not only are we together, but we will soon become a family and raise our children together, and if you keep behaving like the fucking nut case that you are, wewillgo to court, have you declared an unfit mother and raise your child alongside ours and cut you out of the equation.” She starts to talk, but I haven’t finished yet. I know that I’ve probably said too much, but I’m sick of pussyfooting around her. I take a deep breath and continue, “I suggest you stop concentrating on me and my life, and attempt to sort your own shit out. If you love your son and you want to keep him with you, then you need to stop harassing me and pissing Cam off, because I’m telling you straight now, darling, I will come for you. I will take that baby and raise him as my own. I will make sure you’re sectioned and don’t see the light of day again, andI willmake sure that every trace of you is wiped from your son’s life and he will never know you even existed. But before I do any of that, I will punch every tooth and pull every hair from your fucking head.”
“Cameron would never let that happen.” Oh, I so want to tell her where Cam is right now. Georgia of just a few years ago would’ve had no hesitation, but I actually use the brain that I was blessed with and keep calm and think about my answer. The last thing I want is for her to do a runner with the baby.
“No, Tamara, you’re probably right. Cam loves his little boy and only wants to do right by him, and as long as the best thing for Harry is to be with you, then that’s where Cam will make sure he stays. Now leave me, Cam and our life alone, and go and make one of your own.”
I hang up before I can say any more. My temper and brain-to-mouth function have clearly improved, but I really don’t want to test their ability any more today.
I tell Scott to drive me to the family court where Cam is and arrive just as he walks out. He stops in his tracks as soon as he sees me and I’m not entirely sure what it is that passes through his eyes as he looks at me.
“Did you get it?”
He nods. “They’ve ordered a full hearing next Friday, but until then, he stays with us.” I let out a deep sigh of relief. After my conversation with Tamara earlier, there is no way that woman should be left in charge of a baby.
“Thank fuck for that.” He raises his eyebrows slightly but doesn’t mention my swearing. “Sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll try really hard not to do that around him.” He gives me a small smile and I can’t stand to not be near him for a second longer. I give him no choice in the matter as I step towards him, wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him like my life depends on it, which it pretty much does.
“Let’s go and fetch your son,” I tell him on the steps of the courthouse.
* * *
As we sit in the back of my car on the drive over to the facility, Cam receives a call from the doctor on duty telling him that Tamara’s blood and urine samples have just come back as positive. I had a feeling she was probably off her chops when she called me earlier, but I haven’t yet told Cam about that conversation and decide to remain quiet for now while he decides what to do. He calls Eli, his lawyer, to let him know and leaves him to make any new arrangements that need to be put in place.
By the time we arrive, the police are in attendance as the staff are worried about Tamara’s reaction when she hears the results from her tests and that Harry’s being taken from her.
I wait in the car. I don’t like the woman, but I feel for her. I don’t want to witness what she’s about to go through and I don’t want her to think that I’m there to gloat. Who knows what will happen in the future? She’s Harry’s mum, and whatever role I’m about to play in his life, I may or may not have to have some kind of relationship with Tamara.
I wait inside the car for a while, then I start to feel panic setting in, so I call Jimmie and tell her what’s going on.
She and Ash saw Doctor Shepherd this week and the babies are due on the twenty-seventh of February. Ash obviously complained that it would mean a dry Christmas for her, but still had a little cry with me when we spoke about it. Obviously blaming her mood swings on her hormones.
The doors ofthe rehabilitation unit slide open and Cam comes toward me carrying a small bundle wrapped in a blanket. He stops in front of me, his eyes all over my face.
“Georgia, I’d like you to meet my son.” He looks down at the bundle, whose face I can’t quite see. “Harry Joseph King, I’d like you to meet the love of my life, Georgia Rae Layton.” He passes me the baby. He’s small and has dark hair like Cam’s. I know all of this because I’ve seen so many photos, but actually holding him, here in my arms, he feels so tiny. Looking down into his perfect little face, he looks so much like Cam and I love him instantly.
* * *
The next few hours are a whirlwind. Cam called Benny on the drive over to pick up the baby and told him to meet us there with a car seat so we could get him home. I call my dad and ask him to go over to our place and set up the cot that we still hadn’t done. We thought we had another week before we would have the baby with us. By the time we arrive home a couple of hours later, my parents, Jimmie, Ash and Sam are all at my house.
Sam is due to give birth to a little girl any day, but despite this, she has helped my mum, dad and sisters-in-law in organising Harry’s nursery. The cot has been put together, but a Moses basket and stand has been set up next to our bed, because my mum and sisters-in-law know me so well, and knew I wouldn’t be happy with the baby not sleeping in our room until he got a bit bigger.
Thanks to a quick shopping trip by Mum and donations from his Aunties, Harry had everything a baby could possibly want, bottles, steriliser, formula, bottle warmer, nappies and so much love and attention it was untrue.
I barely slept a wink Friday night. We were both due at West Ham’s football ground at nine for the first of the charity football games that were going to be played over the next two days.
My mum was an absolute legend and turned up at our house at six, she looked after the baby and let us get ready. Cam didn’t want to let Harry out of his sight as Tamara had apparently gone missing and he was terrified about where she might show up. My mum, being the expert that she was, packed everything that was needed for the baby for the entire day and stayed with Cam and I as we travelled from venue to venue, event to event and from interview to interview. By the time Sunday night came around and the grand finale had ended, we had raised over ninety million pounds. Harry had been held and passed around by no less than five supermodels, two England football captains, an Ashes winning cricket captain, two Oscar winners and about twenty members of rock royalty.
Everyone involved was exhausted, but we still managed to keep awake, running on pure adrenalin. We even attended the after party at one of Cam’s clubs until five Monday morning. Cam had finally allowed my parents to take Harry, or H as he had become known over the weekend, back to our house, where they would stay, along with Benny and Scott.
* * *
Cam, Jimmie and I sit in a row, all holding hands, all staring at the screen as the doctor glides the ultrasound wand over Ashley’s belly.
