Complete Indelible Love Series

by Cee, DW

  “I don’t like her. I don’t like seeing her. And I sure as hell don’t like seeing her body draped over yours. What the hell was she thanking you for?”

  Damn. This was where the shit was going to hit the fan. “Well, Mom kind of invited her to the wedding.” I made this statement as innocuous and nonchalant as possible—almost to a point where it could’ve been anyone’s wedding we were talking about. Jane stayed glued in place and expression. I watched with intense curiosity. “That’s it? You’re all right with Hannah and the wedding?” I threw this in there hoping she would not understand.

  “Why the hell should I care if she attends another Davis wedding? Was she that close to your extended family where they’d invite her to their wedding?”

  “Ah. I see,” were the words I muttered before getting ready for bed. I wasn’t going to lie, but I wouldn’t admit to anything just yet.

  The intense curiosity was on me this time as I changed out of my clothes, flossed my teeth, and took a long ass time performing my nightly ritual. Hopefully, she’d be asleep before I was done.

  No such luck. She was wide-awake and ready to pounce. I was proud of how long she kept her emotions intact. It wasn’t like my fiancée to stay calm.

  “There’s a good chance I may say something I’d regret, so I’m keeping my mouth shut for as long as humanly possible,” she ground out. “You might want to start talking.”

  When I finally decided to stop being a chicken and got into bed, I draped the covers over us as if nothing happened, had no explaining to do, and I mouthed, “Goodnight, Love.”

  “Are you going…” The exasperated tone went no further when my mouth sealed hers shut. My woman loved to kiss. She actually loved any sexual act, but she especially loved kissing before we enjoyed the heavier acts. I chose to make love to her tongue for a while until she was in a better mood.

  “Do you want the good news or the bad news, first?” I asked when she had that glazed-over, I-want-sex-now! look.

  “The good.” Whoa! That was a surprise answer.

  After another round of kissing, I said, “The great news is that I love you, you love me, and you’ve graciously accepted my lifetime offer to have me as your lover, best friend, father of your children, and husband.”

  “I knew that already. That’s not anything new.” She attempted to take the dominant position and push me onto my back. That wasn’t going to be good considering the news that was just about to be unloaded on her. As self-preservation, I needed to stay atop. “What’s the bad news?”

  “The bad news is—and it’s only bad news if you choose to look at it that way.”

  “Get on with it,” she groaned.

  “Mom invited Hannah to our wedding and she was asking me for permission to attend when you saw her thanking me.”

  It was an understatement to say that she was pissed. Jane stopped talking.

  “You allowed her to attend our wedding?” Well, that mute button just unmuted itself. “No. You didn’t just allow her to attend; you actually invited her to our most special day.”

  She now stood up and walked around our very small room, ranting.

  “Gem.” Rather than sounding apologetic, I thought sounding annoyed might resolve this situation sooner. Once again, I was in offense mode. “Mom already invited her. She asked me if it was OK. What was I to say?”

  “How about, ‘Let me ask my future wife?’ How could you invite her to our wedding? You know how much I dislike her?”

  “What’s there to dislike? What has she really done to deserve your wrath?”

  “What has she done?” By the high-pitched sounds of her voice, maybe I should’ve chosen defense. “She did her damnedest to sabotage us so she could win you back.”

  “Be reasonable, Gem. She did no such thing once I made it clear to her that you were the only woman for me. There hasn’t been anything between us since high school.” My woman knew what I’d spoken was the absolute truth, and she couldn’t justify her unwarranted actions.

  “I don’t want her at my wedding.” The whining that followed was adorable enough for me to pull her onto my body for a few more kisses. I knew she’d come around to reason.

  “I’ll let Mom know how you feel, and tell her not to encourage Hannah. In all likelihood, she won’t attend.”

  “You’ll do that for me?” If her child-like whining was any indication of how I’d deal with my daughter, I was doomed already.

  “I’d do just about anything for you, my precious Gem.” I loved this woman.

  The way Jane was stripping off her clothes, as well as mine, I’d have the night to show her how much.

  Chapter 3 Jane: The (un)Willing Guests

  Did I mention the teeny-tiny change of events on the cul-de-sac? With Jake’s family gone, we were all in semi-mourning because of the children’s absence. After having had a whirlwind European trip, life was almost boring. Max and I would visit here and there to hang out with Nick and Doug, but our cul-de-sac was barren.

  That was until Laney decided to come home!

  “Hello, Donovan. You’re on speaker with me and Max.”

  “Hey.” He sounded down.

  “Where are you right now?”

  “Living in hell in Germany.”

  My fiancé busted up in heavy, heavy laughter. “I knew I didn’t need to lift a finger to kick your ass. Your girlfriend was my secret weapon.”

  “Laugh now, Asshole.” Donovan said somewhat jokingly. “You’ll get it all back during this blissful engagement period. You just wait. You think your woman is any less complicated or any less of a pain in the ass than mine?”

  Max was still holding his stomach, containing his laughter. “Oh, I know my woman is a pain in the ass. The other night, she ripped me a new one because my mom invited Hannah to our wedding. Trust me, none of these Reid women are easy.”

  “Hey! I’m right here.” My elbow hit Max in the gut. “What’s your progress?”

  “I’m seriously between hell and the next level down from hell.”

  “Details, Donovan Taylor! You always were good with the convoluted answers. I can see why you and my cousin work.”

  “While you are in your cubicle, awaiting partnership to be donned on you, I am trying to court a new buyer to rival the one I have in London. But, instead of courting a new buyer, I lost a major client yesterday and have bombed every meeting since my woman left me.”

  “Your woman came home today. We are about to go see her.”

  “I’m tempted to ask you to spank her ass for me, but I think I’ll leave that for my pleasure.”

  Max and Donovan both laughed this time. “How can we help you?”

  “Who the hell knows?” Donovan sighed. “I have a meeting with a prospective buyer in a couple of hours and a meeting with a jeweler in ten minutes. That’s where I’m headed right now.”

  “So good news could be coming your way.” I tried to sound encouraging.

  “I moved my life for a woman who only recently consented to be my girlfriend. Twice now, she’s moved to another continent after being pissed with me. Every group I’ve met this week hated me. I lost one of our biggest European clients, and I’ve yet to find the diamond that screams my woman’s name. What part of that makes you believe good news is coming?”

  “With that kind of negativity, you’ll chase away anything good.” I snapped back at the snarky man.

  “Give my woman a kiss for me and help me by coordinating my sisters’ arrivals. Ma’s got a long to-do list already and will not notice if one of her girls doesn’t make it.”

  “I doubt that,” I said, and quickly added, “anything else? Max and I are free to help.”

  “If I think of more, I’ll let you know.”

  “Good luck, Man.”

  “Thanks. I need all the good luck this continent has to offer.”

  We hung up and decided to go see the other half of this equation.

  “Why ar
e you home?”

  “Well that’s a fine way to greet your cousin.” Laney was as pissy as her counterpart.

  Max walked around us and greeted my cousin with a warm hug and kiss to the top of her head. “Welcome home, Laney. I hear you’re starting med school with me and Nick?”

  “I am.” She smiled. “I know Donovan believes I came home because I was pissed with him, and I suppose that’s not wholly incorrect.”

  “You women are incorrigible.”

  “Yes, I’m unhappy with him, but I mostly moved back because I want to start my life now. I don’t want to lollygag my year away and regret being that much older when I get married and have kids. I have no idea when Donovan might propose, but when he does, I want my life to be going somewhere.”

  “Shouldn’t you have discussed this with him? He’s under a lot of pressure to sell the company and he’s stressed now that you’re not with him.”

  Laney showed some penitence. “I know, Jane. I feel horrible for leaving him out in Europe by himself. But, he’ll understand. If I enroll now as a Reid, I’ll receive free tuition and I’ll be that much closer to becoming a doctor. As soon as the company sells, he’ll be home.”

  I supposed after Saturday night, all would be revealed and Laney would regret not being in Europe with her man. Until then, we’d do our best to keep the peace for both parties.

  “Have you seen Nick?” I asked Laney.

  “He stopped by briefly, about ten minutes ago. I think he’s home.”

  “Laney, can you call Bee? Let’s all have dinner together.”

  My cousin’s face showed all kinds of doubt. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive!”

  “All right…if Bee goes into a rage, it’s all on you, Jane.”

  I knew what I was doing…or so I believed.

  Max, Laney, and I walked over to my parents’ home and found Nick making dinner for himself.

  “Hey. Let’s go have dinner.” I suggested even though he looked to have finished making dinner.

  Nick gave me an are you stupid look. “I’m about to have dinner and after, I need to start reading some of the textbooks.”

  “Come on,” I bugged. “Laney is home. Let’s go celebrate.”

  Once again, my brother looked at me as though I was an idiot. “I’m sure Donovan’s celebrating over in Europe because his girlfriend moved continents on him twice in one summer.” Sometimes, my brother wasn’t the most sensitive of the bunch.

  “We’ll call Garret and Doug, too. Let’s go to that sports bar near our house.” I stole his food and sealed the plate with a plastic wrap.

  “You women are all damn annoying,” he grumbled and stood up from the barstool.

  “He’s going to be pissed when he sees Bee,” Max mumbled, with my brother just steps from us.

  “Text her the address right now,” I whispered.

  “I already did.” My cousin was always the smart one.

  “Look over there.” I pretended to be completely surprised. “Oh my gosh! Is that Bee?”

  “You’re a terrible actress, Gem. Keep your day job until I finish residency.” Max spoke it, Laney laughed because of it, and Nick grumbled a few unkind words that we three heard loudly and clearly.

  “Hi, Bee!” Laney tried to smooth over the unappreciated effort. Bee looked annoyed with us, too. “Aren’t you happy to see me back home?”

  “Shouldn’t home be wherever my nephew is?” It didn’t go unnoticed that Nick and Bee sat as far away from each other as possible, but Laney worked her magic. Laney asked Garret, who was sitting next to Nick, to switch seats with her. Then, she pushed Nick over to the other side of the bench while I picked myself up just in time for Nick and Bee to bump hips. It was a comical chess move.

  “Your nephew will be home Saturday. You will be at Dad’s birthday, and Ma and Pa’s anniversary party?”

  “Yeah,” Bee said quietly, as Nick stared at her. None of us knew their status, but we could feel the uncomfortable chemistry. “Will you be there?” We all heard her whisper but decided to pretend as though we weren’t here.

  “Do you want me not to be there?” Nick asked. We all felt like we were watching a movie.

  “I didn’t say that. You haven’t called since our last...never mind,” she concluded. “It shouldn’t matter to either of us where each other is. I’ll see you on Saturday, I guess.”

  Both of their stubborn attitudes would make this relationship a difficult one.

  “So what have you decided about the villa in Italy?” Laney changed subject.

  “I love it. I called them today and gave them a down payment, so I could book the place. Max and I will have to go and see the location as soon as opportunity arises.”

  “Maybe we can go together? Depending upon when Donovan gets this company sold, I assume I will be going back and forth to Europe.”

  “I need to go soon because they won’t hold the location for more than two months.”

  “Maybe planning a wedding in another country was not a smart idea.” My soon-to-be hubby’s concerns were unfounded. How dreamy to have a wedding with Tuscany as the backdrop. Once Max wrapped his head around this idea, he’d love it.

  While Nick and Bee carried their own conversation, Doug, who joined us soon after we arrived, told us that Garret helped him find a job in his company. My brother and cousin were in med school, Doug had a job—we were all growing up.

  “Laney, what did you do with all your stuff?” Doug asked.

  “I brought as much back as possible, but a lot is still in Belgravia. I suppose every time I visit, I’ll bring more of my belongings home. Maybe Donovan will bring some of them home with him this weekend.”

  Doug shook his head looking exasperated. “I understand you want to go to med school, but couldn’t you have decided all this before moving yourself to London? Think of all the money everyone has wasted because of your whims.”

  Laney looked unhappy. “For your information, I did not waste anyone’s money. When I chose to move, I had no idea Donovan would eventually come after me. Had he clued me in, I wouldn’t have moved!”

  “OK…” Max chuckled. “Let’s break up the sibling love. How about we head home if all of us are done eating?”

  I was thrilled that my brother and Bee hadn’t come up for breath since their conversation began.

  “Max and I are headed home. Doug will take Laney. Bee, could you give my brother a ride home?” I not-so-casually asked.

  The happy couple didn’t know what to say. I didn’t care as long as they were together. I shooed everyone into their cars, and Max and I jumped into ours.

  “You look mighty pleased with yourself, Mrs. Davis.”

  I grinned. “I’m damn happy with myself. Didn’t you see the longing in both their eyes?”

  That look of love on my fiancé’s face gave me chills. “I think the word longing is stretching it a bit, but yeah, they do seem to like one another.”

  “Like??? Seriously? You think they just like one another?”

  “Um, yeah. If not like, then what?”

  “Nick and Bee are borderline in love. Didn’t you notice their body language?”

  “You mean the I-want-to-do-you, body language?”

  “Eew, Max! I don’t want to hear that kind of stuff about my brother.”

  “Whatever.” Max could care less. “Let’s go home because I-want-to-do-you!”

  Chapter 4 Max: The Friend(ly) Guests

  “Are you ready for your big night, tomorrow?”

  Laney looked up from her textbook and slowly asked, “What…big…night?”

  I was about to say, “Your engagement party,” when I realized Donovan hadn’t proposed yet. Shit! This could have been a disaster had I made this mistake. Donovan would have kicked my ass, all the way back to London, if I hadn’t stopped myself. “It’s your father’s birthday party, your soon-to-be in-laws’ anniversary, and your boyfriend is coming hom
e. Isn’t that a big enough night for you?” Damn. What a recovery! I’d take this almost-mistake with me to my grave.

  Laney nodded her head too slowly for my liking. She was such a sharp one; I didn’t want her wheels turning in the right direction for her, wrong direction for me. “You’re a little chippier than usual.”

  I laughed. “What may I ask is ‘chippier’?”

  “The comparative form of chipper.”

  I laughed even harder. Growing up, I wished for a younger sister like Laney. “I don’t think I’m smart enough to debate your assessment. Whatcha’ up to? Why are you at the library on a Friday evening?”

  “I’m trying to get caught up. Mom and Ma told me not to worry about the party, and Donovan won’t come home until…2020, so I’m here in the meanwhile.”

  “I see why Donovan couldn’t stay away from you and will have moved continents twice to be with you. You’re more entertaining than Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show.”

  “I’m glad someone finds me entertaining. You’d think my boyfriend would prefer my company, more so than my grandfather’s company.”

  This girl was a veritable word giant. I wondered why she was in med school. Law school seemed more appropriate.

  “I’m meeting Jane, Becky and Al for dinner in about half an hour. You want to join us?”

  “Naw. I have too much work to catch up on. Assuming Donovan comes home this weekend, I’d like to get ahead so we can spend some time together.”

  “Will you be here late?” I didn’t like the thought of Laney walking to her car deep into the night.

  “Why couldn’t God have switched you for Doug when I was growing up?” She smiled like a little girl. “Nick and I carpooled. He’ll pick me up when he’s done with whatever it is that he’s doing.”