by Cee, DW
Donovan busted up to the truth of my statement.
“After I punched him, I felt much better. But I think it was this morning that made me accept him as a friend and possible future family.”
“What happened this morning? I didn’t see any words being exchanged while I was giving my speech. You two weren’t talking in the back were you?”
“When I saw your buddy standing in the back at a conference that he knew nothing about, at 8 o’clock in the morning when he had his own meeting to attend, I figured he couldn’t be too bad of a guy. I’m sure everything you said went right over his head, but he was there to support you. That was all right in my book.”
Donovan gave off a stupid grin, and even as a guy, I could see why women would fawn over him. He was a damn good looking man. Not that I’d admit that to anybody else but myself.
“When are you leaving?” I asked Donovan.
“Tomorrow after work. Do you by chance know what time she is leaving for this summer home?”
“I do, in fact. Michael told me that he was going to be on a hunting trip and he would be back late at night. Actually I got it wrong, they are leaving early Thursday morning. I don’t think he knows that it’s Laney’s birthday on Wednesday. Or else I can’t imagine him being away from her on her birthday if he knew.”
“What are you going to do to stop her from going?” Jake spoke, doubtful that his best friend would be able to keep Laney away from leaving for this trip.
“Are you actually doubting me, Best Friend? You don’t trust that I will win your cousin’s heart in the end?”
Jake laughed as he took a sip of his bourbon. “Yeah I’m doubting you. You were stupid enough to let her go. You deserve every heartache that comes your way.”
“Amen!” I spoke and drank my scotch to that statement.
“Speaking of leaving,” Donovan handed me an envelope. “It’s only fitting that I give this to you on your birthday as well.”
I opened up the envelope and found two first-class tickets to any destination of our choice. “Are these the infamous tickets that separated me from my girlfriend for the last two months? The tickets that sealed your asshole status, the tickets that brought heartache to everybody involved, and the tickets that probably pushed Laney away as well?”
Jake was enjoying himself at the expense of his best friend. And his best friend was grinning, though I didn’t know why the hell he was grinning when he was the perpetrator to all that I had accused him of.
“Yep. These are those infamous tickets. There are two tickets in there as you can see, one for Jane for her birthday and one for you for your birthday. Happy birthday and enjoy yourself at my expense.”
“Considering what you put us through, I should ask you to provide lodging as well.”
Both men laughed at me.
“If that’s what it will take to clear me of my guilty conscience, I will get you the poshest lodging available wherever you decide to go.”
“You’re in luck,” I said slapping his back. “Lodging won’t be necessary since I think I’m going to take Jane over to London so she can see the London office. We will stay with Laney and Jake’s family for a while during our time there. Thank you for the tickets.” I put out my hand and as we shook, I decided to finally let go of all anger towards Donovan.
“If we are doing birthday presents, I have one here as well. I don’t know what’s in there, Davis, but my wife told me to give it to you as your birthday present.”
Opening up a thin box that was beautifully wrapped, I saw that Em had created a photo album for me for my birthday. It went in chronological order for just about every year of my life starting from the day I was born to the picture of me and Jane and JR at the christening. And on the first page, there was a beautifully written letter from Emily telling me how much I meant in her and her family’s life. It obviously was nothing inappropriate, but the love behind this gift was overwhelming.
“Your gift is starting to piss me off, Davis. Aside from the fact that it is way too sentimental for my liking, my wife must’ve spent hours getting this gift together for you. These are hours that she does not have, hours where she should be sleeping instead.”
I ignored Jake and sent Em a text.
Thank you for the gift. I don’t think I’ve received a better one in all my life.
“What did you write to my wife?” Jake was trying to look over my shoulder. “And what is she doing answering you back at this hour? She should be sleeping.” I saw Jake pull out his phone.
“Love, why are you up at this hour?” Jake’s voice went all honey on us. “You are? Babies are all down?”
“Oh brother, he sounds like more of a chick than his wife when he’s on the phone with her.”
I agreed with Donovan’s comment.
“My wife wants me to tell you, ‘you’re welcome,’ and to have a good time with Jane.”
I grinned thinking about how different my life was right now with Jane, than when it was with Emily.
“What’s that smile for?” Jake wondered.
“You really want to know?”
“Yeah, because I might have to kick your ass if it’s anything inappropriate towards my wife.”
I grinned even more. “I was thinking how peaceful and lovely my life would be right now if I had married Em.”
Simultaneously, I stepped away from Jake while Donovan stepped in and grabbed him. All three of us busted up laughing.
“But,” I said loudly, “I wouldn’t change what I have right now for anything or anybody, even Em. Jane is all I need and she’s all I can handle.”
That appeased Jake. “Your life will not be easy—ever. My sister has never been quiet about anything.”
“I know.” I grinned like a fool in love.
We parted much later than expected and I came home to find Jane, donned in her negligee, sans underwear, but out like a light. Carefully, I opened up her legs and returned the favor she bestowed upon me this morning. This woman was the best birthday present any man could wish for, in all his living days.
(Max) August 26, 2013 Last(ing) Love
“Is this the last of her stuff?” Nick complained. “Damn! Why do women have so much baggage?”
I laughed. “Amen to that. They have way too much baggage in every sense of the word, but don’t tell your sister I said that.”
“You sure you want to commit yourself to my sister? She can be a bit of a psycho at times. You’re going to live with that the rest of your life.”
I laughed even harder. “But she’ll be my psycho. And I love her every which way.”
“Shit, you are gone if you’re saying you love even the psycho side of her. Good luck, man. She’s not easy to live with.”
“I have my ways of controlling your sister.”
This time Nick laughed hard. “Yeah. That’s what you think. She ain’t no Emily.”
“She’s Jane and that’s who I fell in love with. Thanks for your help, Nick.”
“You’re welcome. See you later.”
I looked around her new lodging and smiled when I laid out all her shoes in the small shoe closet that had her name written all over it. I’d live with her temperament, her shoe habit, her jealous nature and I’d love every minute of it. She was my life, my breath, my consummate love and we’d create a marriage like none other.
I fell in love with this girl during the course of a four-hour sushi dinner and over the course of our courtship, didn’t take charge of our relationship and guide it in the right path. I harbored grudges, kept the pain to myself, and thought that being selfless manifested the ultimate love for Jane. That was also how I almost lost this precious girl.
Our nine months of courtship wasn’t easy. It started with an all-out argument on our first date, to copious misunderstandings concerning Joyce and Hannah, to the total disaster with Donovan. That one was not easy to bounce back from, but here we are, engaged to be married. I wait la
ughing, in anticipation of Donovan’s comeuppance. I need not seek any retribution as Laney will be my avenger and kick his ass to the curb—many times over—before accepting him. In all ways, Laney stood out as the strongest of the Reid women. A soft-spoken tigress, lioness, a liligress,—a girl who accomplished much without any fanfare. She would show Donovan how much work it required to truly love and be loved. Yeah, I can’t wait to watch it all from the sideline!
But in the meanwhile, my soon to be wife and I would have many more arguments before and after the wedding, but I’d be sure to resolve those arguments before the sun goes down. If I learned anything in the past nine months, I learned I needed to act swiftly and correctly and to always show my lady that I love her unconditionally.
Jane Sydney Reid, soon to be Davis,—I love her...I cherish her...and I’ll hold on tight because I can’t live without this precious gem.
Author’s Note Part 2:
Now that you’ve read about Max & Jane’s happy ending, it’s a must that you know what happened with Donovan and Laney. Unlikely Attraction – Delaney’s Story is divided into three parts. First is the Mo(u)rning phase where we see Delaney mourning her “relationship” with Donovan. Next is (New) Day where we see Delaney in a new environment, surrounding herself with new friends and a new possible love. But in the end, her (K)Night will come to sweep her off her feet. There’s something extra special about this book. I hope you’ll love it as much as I do.
UNLIKELY ATTRACTION – DELANEY’S STORY
By
DW Cee
Copyright © 2013 by DW Cee
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be copied, reproduced, transmitted, or downloaded, whether electronic or mechanical, without the written consent of the author.
This story is a work of fiction. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Ebook Edition
Chickygirl Publishing
Hell-o Madamoiselle Delaney!
You bring habitual joy and shiitake-mushroom laughter.
For that I say gracias!
Author’s Note
Author’s Note
When I first wrote Indelible Love – Emily’s Story, Laney was a minor character I never thought to bring to life. Even when she appeared in Indelible Lovin’ – Max & Jane’s Story, she was not a part of the big picture, and never did I see her with Donovan Taylor.
In all honesty, the more I developed Donovan, I fell in love with him and considered pairing Jane up with Donovan rather than Max. But, I knew Donovan needed a spunky girl who would keep him on his toes and the most (un)likely match was Delaney Reid.
This book is separated into three sections. Mo(u)rning chronicles their initial “relationship,” where Laney sees more heartache than happiness. In (New) Day, we see Laney in a different setting, surrounding herself with new friends and a possible new happiness. But of course, her (K)Night will come after her in the last section and the true courtship begins.
This book is the fourth volume of the Indelible Love series and if you haven’t read Indelible Lovin’ – Max & Jane’s Story, I highly recommend you read those volumes first, before starting this one. This book contains a lot of information that will answer questions from Max & Jane’s blog. If you aren’t familiar with the Reid family, you may get lost.
This book has become my absolute favorite story and I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Prologue
“What are you doing with this?” I couldn’t believe I was holding my diary again, months after it’d been lost. “And where did you find it?”
“Well...”
“DONOVAN TAYLOR! WHY DO YOU HAVE MY DIARY?”
“This is going to sound bizarre, but it was mailed to my house. I got it in the mail with a typed note that said, ‘FYI.’”
“Please tell me you are joking. How did my diary get mailed to your house of all places and who would do that? And why you?”
“I’m a bit unsure as to why me, but it was, and now here it is.”
“Well, I suppose I should thank you. I’ve been looking for this for months. I tried to remember where I last used it by remembering the last entry, but none of it would come to me.”
“Oh, you wrote about being sad about leaving your home in LA, in your last entry.”
“YOU READ MY DIARY?” I went a bit ballistic at this point. “HOW COULD YOU READ MY DIARY?”
“Well...I only opened it up, first to see what it was. Then I flipped through the pages to find the owner’s name. Then...I read the first few pages to see if I could get a sense of who wrote the journal. And then...”
“Yes? And then...?”
“I got a little sucked into the journal entries.”
I started convulsing.
“You’re a really good writer, I must say.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
“I enjoyed your writing?”
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh...” I walked in circles while hyperventilating.
This diary-stealing, diary-reading rat, stopped me dead in my circle, put his hand around the back of my neck and kissed me hard! I’d been kissed before, but never this completely.
“Mr. Taylor! Donovan Taylor! What are you doing?”
“You, Miss Delaney, are adorable!”
And then he grabbed me again and kissed me senseless. I gave up my fight...for now.
Mo(u)rning
It all started with a diary that my friend Alice Hancock gave me at my 9th birthday party. It was pink and sparkly and came with a lock and key. Of course, I quickly attached the key to my bracelet and starting August 7, 1999, I wrote in my diary daily. There was not a day that went by when I didn’t record what happened to me. Looking back, most of the entries were boring, of course, but this is what got me writing and interested in a possible future career as a scriptwriter. And who would have known, that a wee bitty diary would lead me to the wedding of my dreams. But...I’m getting ahead of myself. The following are just highlights of what led to this beautiful Christmas Day.
AGE 9—Summer Vacation
“Laney, where are you? We’re all loaded and ready to leave. Please don’t lag behind. Your cousins and brother are waiting for you in the RV,” Mom yelled while I searched for my diary. I had to take it on my trip since I was going to write about all the details of Yellowstone National Park.
“I’m looking for my diary,” I yelled back. Of course, I didn’t really yell at my mother, but I was getting a bit worried.
“If it’s that pink book with a lock, I think I saw Doug with it in the RV.”
“What?” I ran down the steps and hurried into the RV. Doug was holding my diary on a table and Nick had a hammer in his hand, raised up to the roof of the RV. He was about to swing down on my treasured book.
“NO!” I yelled as loudly as my nine-year old body would let me.
My scream freaked out both boys and the hammer ended up hitting Nick on his thigh on its way down, and Doug on the chin on its way up. Lucky for me, the diary was safe! The boys weren’t too badly injured, either.
“What’d you do that for?” Doug and Nick yelled back at me. They looked so funny hopping around the RV trying not to cry from the pain.
After laughing as much as I wanted to at them, I argued back, “Serves you right for being nosy. I hope you both suffer the entire trip.” With that, I ran out of our RV and into Jake and Jane’s RV.
Jake is the coolest, smartest and best-looking boy cousin a girl could ask for. All my friends have a crush on him. He is going to be a senior in high school and he always dates the prettiest cheerleaders. I’m going into 4th grade, Doug is going into 6th grade, Nick is going into 7th grade, and my cousin Jane is going into 8th grade. We all go to the same school and Jake is the only one who says hi to me if he sees me on the playground. Of course, he isn’t playing handball or tetherball like me and my friends. When he sometimes walks across the field and see
s me, he’ll rub the top of my head and call me Squirt. All my friends get so jealous because he only talks to me.
Jane is sometimes mean and ignores me. She is only nice when she wants something from me. But, since she is in the junior high campus, I don’t see too much of her. My brother for sure ignores me. Nick generally says hi, but he is also on the other campus so I don’t see much of him either.
“Why are you in our RV?” Jane was not nice today. Maybe she is on her period. I don’t know exactly what a period is but that’s what I hear the boys giggling about whenever she is in a foul mood.
“Nick and Doug tried to break open my diary, so I came here to get away from them.”
“You and your silly diary. Why do you always write in that thing?”
“‘Cuz I like it. Why do you always talk on the phone whenever I come over to your house?”
“‘Cuz I like it,” she said in the same way I did. I think she was making fun of me.