Then There Was You: A Single Parent Collection

by Gianna Gabriela

  “Take her. We got him.” Jude pauses the game when it’s his turn, smirks smugly, lifts a brow, and turns back to the game.

  “What was that all about?” I ask, trailing behind Riddick into his kitchen. I love ours with its white tiled floor, light wooden cabinets, a lavender backsplash, and stainless steel appliances, but his is a dream. It looks like it should be in a home tucked in the woods instead of on the beach. A rustic revelation.

  Weathered brick lines the back and sides of the black stove, fridge, and dishwasher; there are dark-brown wooden cabinets, a long island with two sinks in the middle, and hardwood floors; and the biggest window I’ve ever seen spans the entire side facing the ocean. It just so happens to face my home. I can see Vivian puttering around in our kitchen from here.

  “God, this is gorgeous. Do you use it? It looks… I don’t know. New,” I ask, running my hand across the smooth counter.

  “That was Jude being the wise ass he is. And, rarely. Hell, I hardly enter half of these rooms. I bought this place, because I promised you we would have a home on the beach. Gutted the entire thing with the help of one of Jude’s designer friends. We did this room and the master bedroom with my vision of you in both of them.” My hand stops moving. My legs go slack. I feel dizzy. I wasn’t expecting him to respond with a brutal honesty that almost drops me to my knees. I stare at him. There’s amusement on his face. Appreciation on mine.

  “Riddick.” I approach him slowly on those legs that somehow get me right in front of him. He snakes his arms around me, holding me close, tucking his head into the crook of my neck.

  “I know, Cora. It’s too much, too soon. I’m sorry. It’s just…” He pulls his head back to look deeply into my eyes. What he’s searching for I have no clue, but all he’s going to see is a happy woman full of love staring back.

  “Come on. Let me show you the roof. The sun will be setting in a few minutes. The view from up there is phenomenal.” I want to ask him what he was going to say. I don’t. Instead, I follow him outside, climb the wooden steps to his roof, feeling his eyes on my ass the entire time. It sends a burn that only he can soothe in between my legs, an ache to my nipples, and a desire to my core; and if our son weren’t downstairs, I would throw caution to the wind and say the hell with getting to know each other again and fuck his brains out.

  “Oh my God.” I gasp. All those dirty thoughts come more to life. This is the perfect place for a man to get a woman to do anything he asked of her. Get on her knees, bend over, and spread her legs. Pure seduction.

  “This was Tyson’s idea. Believe it or not, underneath all those tattoos of his, that man is a romantic,” he says while wrapping his arms around me from behind. I’m sure Riddick has used this to romanticize women. It’s none of my business. I won’t ask or act like a jealous woman. I have no right. What I do is enjoy the view, take in my surroundings, and seal them in my memory.

  Glass fencing encases the entire thing. Black wicker furniture, one of the pieces being a bed, as well as a long brick fireplace sit in front of a massive hot tub in the corner. There’s even a bar.

  “I use this as my smoking room,” he says, then pulls away from me, grabs my hand, and leads me to the couch, where we sit. He then pulls out a cigar, bites off the tip, places it in on the table, and lights it. The aroma is the sweet smell I didn’t recognize when I first inhaled his scent last night.

  That lucky cigar has my mouth watering. I moan.

  “You’re blushing, Cora,” he whispers, blowing the sweet aromatic scent of cedar and apple out of his mouth.

  “You look sexy when you smoke.” I may have moaned that out, too. Or whimpered. I’m not sure. All I know is the cigar is no longer in his hands; I’m no longer sitting on the couch. I’m being pulled onto his lap, my legs tucked under his backside, and his hands yanking back my hair.

  “Oh hell,” I mutter.

  “Heaven, Angel. You are definitely heaven. Hell doesn’t exist here.” I want to rejoice, scream at the top of my lungs. I don’t get a chance; his mouth is over mine. That aroma is filling my mouth with every swipe of his tongue across mine. I feel his thick erection under me. Natural instinct has me grinding like a wild woman, panting, moaning, and mentally wishing our clothes were off.

  I feel as if I’m being launched into a full-throttle passion with every nip and bite of my lip. I return the favor, which causes him to thrust forward. Hungrily.

  “Riddick,” I groan out. We need to stop before I tell him to carry me to the bed so I can straddle him there. Naked and wet.

  “I know, Angel. Christ, this kills me. Let’s get the talking out of the way, ‘cause, baby, if I’m reading you right, you want this as much as I do; and I swear on my life I will have you under my body writhing in need sooner than you think. Forever, if I have a say about it.”

  Oh dear. Am I ready for that? My body says ‘God, yes’, my mind and my heart speak louder. There’s so much time between us. So much pain, anguish, and forgiveness.

  “Where do we start?” I ask him, climbing off his lap to gaze at the orange-hued sky.

  “You were doing homework the last time we spoke. Start from there.”

  “Right. I’m not sure how Jesse found out about us or that I was pregnant. I hadn’t told anyone. You needed to be the first to know. Maybe he suspected or went through the garbage and found the positive pregnancy test. I don’t know, but he knew. I was making dinner that night. You and I had talked a few hours earlier. I was fine. Then he had Cutter come and get me. Cutter tied me up and took me to the compound. Jesse beat the hell out of me, told me he would kill you, me, and the baby if I didn’t leave and never come back. I begged him until my throat was raw to leave you be. He wouldn’t listen. He said they already had you and you were going to pay for touching me. I was scared. All I could think about was if I lost you, then I had to do what I needed to save our child. He gave me five hundred dollars, a messed up face, and battered and bruised body, but he didn’t take away our son.” I pause briefly to catch my breath. I haven’t spoken these words in a long time. The sting of what he did to me will always be there. Not only did he take Riddick away, he also left me with none of my parents’ belongings. My memories are all I have.

  Riddick is standing by me now, not saying a word. The smell of his cigar circles around me. The tip of it is flaming the same color as the sunset sky as he takes a drag and blows the smoke in the opposite direction. Orange. Vibrant. Alive.

  “Habit?” I ask, jokingly.

  “Yeah. Picked it up in Afghanistan,” he replies as he leans his arms on the ledge of the railing. “I don’t inhale, Nurse Barrick,” he jokes.

  “I approve then,” I say sarcastically then dip right back into my story.

  “I met Vivian and Sylvia on the bus. Here I was, scared and hurting, when Vivian sat beside me like we knew each other. Long story short, when she finally took a good look at my face, she grabbed her mom’s attention. They took me in, Riddick; and not once have they treated me any different than their own daughter. I ended up graduating a year later than I should have. It had nothing to do with having a baby; it had to do with going out in public. I was scared I would run into Jesse or Cutter, afraid they would finish me or steal the only piece of you I had left.”

  “They became your foster parents. Correct?”

  “Yes and no. I had been with them for a little over a month when Ron told me if I wanted to stay with them, then we had to do the right thing by going to the courts. I was a minor with no parents, a child who should have gone into the system. I begged them to let me stay, or I was taking off. I didn’t want Jesse to find me or for the courts to make him sign off on his guardianship. I told them he was a bad man and I wanted nothing to do with him. I had no clue that Jesse knew where I was the entire time. Not until a nurse brought me a card that was anonymously dropped off by a courier on the day Ethan was born. That was the first one I received. All the rest came on my birthday, which I found odd after receiving the first. Even though I hav
en’t received one in a few years, I still dread going to the mailbox on Ethan’s birthday, which is November 8th.

  “The Shepard’s are our family; I will never be able to repay them for what they did for Ethan and me. If I had known you were alive, I would have come back. Never would I have kept him from you. I swear I’m telling you the truth.” He listens intently, still not saying anything. Soaking it all in, I suppose.

  I watch the sun disappear into the ocean, feel the cooler air descend upon us, and breathe. I can’t believe I’m standing here with him, waiting for his response. What I don’t expect is the question he asks. It’s shocking after everything I’ve confessed. It proves to me all the more how much he loves our son.

  “I know you wouldn’t have kept him from me. Can I ask you a question?” He looks incredibly sad, and I hate this for him. I hate he’s hurting and I can’t do a thing to take away his pain.

  “Ask me anything?” I tell him assuredly. I have nothing to keep from him.

  “What’s Ethan’s full name?” Oh. I smile. It’s as if God is listening intently to my inner thoughts about ways to make Riddick happy.

  “Ethan Riddick Murdock,” I tell him with a smile plastered on my face. I gauge his reaction, seeing if it is the same as in all the dreams I’ve had about telling him about his son. Only his face isn’t lit up as I’d dreamed. The muscles in his jaw flex, he crushes the cigar with his hands, and I watch the tobacco along with the pulped paper slowly fall to the ground, the butt still burning brightly.

  “Jesus Christ. He touched you in a way no man should. He thieved the right to witness my child coming into this world from me. A son you named after me.” He slams his fist into his chest. I flinch. Not out of fright. Out of everything.

  “Fuck. I’m sorry, Angel. This shit is a goddamn nightmare. But you, baby, are the fantasy in it.” Riddick’s tone is rough yet full of remorse. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Not now, not ever.

  10

  RIDDICK

  For months, I would lie in bed wondering if she suffered when she died. If she was lying there in a pool of her own blood. The nightmares lasted for years. They became worse in Afghanistan. Detrimental to my state of mind. I still pondered on. Still killed. And every time I saw blood, I thought of her. Rage took over, killing became my mission, my passion. My life. I surrendered to it all.

  Now, my visions are clear, and my life is moving in the direction my mother hoped for. God, if she were only here to see how my life is falling into the place I always wished for. I miss her. My old man, too.

  Regardless of how happy I am, I still have her brother and Cutter to deal with. They touched her. Hurt her. And even though she’s alive, I’m going to stand there long after I kill them, watching with a gratifying expression on my face, knowing those scums have bled to death. Their souls swallowed whole. Straight to hell.

  Her brother and his twisted little game he’s playing. Threatening her every year on her birthday is enough to make me want to find some shallow fucker who’s been sentenced to life to shank that motherfucker. To slay him for fun. Sick bastard.

  I swipe those images from my mind. For now. There are a few things I want to ask her before this perfect day is over.

  “I’ve pretty much told you my story. I’d like to know more about Ethan. Start with the first day of his life.” I ask this while placing my hand over hers, prying her hand from the railing, and pulling her behind me to the bed. My intentions aren’t sexual. I want us to lay side-by-side, stare into the darkened sky, and soak in everything she tells me.

  Cora is quiet at first, stiff as a board until I tug her to me, her head lying on my chest. I’ve startled her with my surge of anger.

  “Sorry about my outburst. I’m honored he’s named after me. Thank you.” I kiss the top of her head. The air all around me is full of pride.

  “He loves it, too. Thought the name was badass when I told him he was named after you.” I can’t ignore how wonderful her confession makes me feel, or how the warmth of her body seeps into mine. My intentions were pure until her body snuggled up to mine. I want to act out of instinct, roll her onto her back and strip her bare. Fuck her breathless. She pulls my focus right back to Ethan with the loving way she rattles off about him growing up. I soak every bit of it in. Close my eyes and let my imagination take over.

  “The first few years were rough with me going to school. His safety and health were all I could think of when I was away from him. Ron and Sylvia were wonderful. They made it easy for me by taking turns with him when I had to study. The hospital they work in has a daycare. They checked on him every chance they got. He was perfect. Started walking shortly after his first birthday. Had a full head of hair, talked all the time. Loved the water. An all-around easygoing kid. He’s had his share of troubles like most kids do. Bullies, mean kids. He always came through. Never let them get to him. He’s a good kid. Polite and kind. Has a big heart. He’s everything to me, to them, and he will make you fall in love with him without even trying.” Her words choke me up. Visions run through my mind of a little boy running around, laughing and playing with cars. Eyes are discovering new adventures. Mischievous.

  “That must have been hard for you to finish high school, go to college with a child. I’m proud of you, Cora,” I say soothingly.

  “It was. Every day, I hated leaving him, wondering if that day would be the day Jesse would seek me out. Take him from me. Even though I knew he was safe and that everyone in that hospital would die before they let someone get to him or any of the kids there, I still worried. Time progressed, things became easier, and I managed, Riddick. I had to for his sake. I didn’t want to shelter him from life. I told myself I would kill Jesse before I would let him touch my son. Eventually, I shoved it all away. Except you. I never forgot you.”

  I sigh, pulling her up and over me. “So beautiful. It’s my job to protect the both of you now. Will you let me?”

  “Yes,” she assures me, shifts her body, and I look down to find her smiling.

  “What?” My voice thickens. Even in the dark, I can feel her eyes scanning my face. Her heart starts to thrum speedily, causing mine to quicken in order to catch up to hers.

  “Kiss me.” Fucking hell, those are the sweetest words, the most satisfying sounds I’ve heard in a long time. That is until I hear the sturdy thud of shoes coming up the stairs, and a voice hollering out the words “Mom and Dad!” Cora and I jump up. I move to the couch, while she walks to the top of the stairs.

  “Hey, bud.” She shuffles her hands through his hair.

  “Jude and Tyson are leaving.” He looks at Cora. I assess him watching her, studying her to see if she’s all right. When he flashes a crooked smile at her, I watch him place his arms around her waist and hug her for reasons only known to him. Her arms go around him, too, willingly. I’m not sure what makes me take my phone out of my pocket. I do, though, and snap the first photo of what I hope to be many, quickly making it my background.

  “What the hell you doing here, Murdock?” My sergeant sits on the edge of my desk, crosses his arms over his chest, and glares. I’ve been sitting here pulling desk duty with Jude and Tyson, while he and the other two detectives on our team were out making a bust.

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe going through a few of these files for possible indicators of drug activity. How about you?” I lean back in my chair, fold my arms behind my neck, and glare back. I know what he’s getting at. I’ve had everyone pretty much doing the same thing he has all morning long. News travels fast around here with Jude and his big fat mouth. If he wasn’t such a pretty boy, I might bust it up a little. Not that I care if he’s running his trap; he just needs to watch who he says it to. I’d hate for word to get back to anyone related to my past, for them to find out what I do or where I am. It could lead to a heap of trouble for Cora and Ethan.

  “This shit happens in the movies, Murdock, not in the town of Santa Barbara; and it sure as fuck doesn’t happen to one of my men. Now, get the
hell out of here. Go find that kid and woman of yours and don’t report back for the rest of the week. You get me?” he grunts, shifts off my desk, and leaves me looking like a damn pussy with my mouth hanging open.

  “Go, asshole. I got your back here,” Jude calls out from his desk behind me.

  “Thanks, brother. Let Tyson know I’ll call you both later. We need to start searching for her brother,” I counter, lift my pussy ass self out of my chair, and hit the pavement. I hop on my bike, tug my helmet over my head, and make my way back home. To them.

  “Cora, Ethan!” I call into their house from the back deck after stripping out of my work clothes, which consist of jeans, combat boots, and a t-shirt, then throwing on my swim trunks in hopes I could catch a wave with Ethan.

  “They’re not here.” I recognize Vivian’s voice before she comes into view where I stand outside the door.

  “Come in.” She waves her hand indicating for me to do so.

  “Vivian,” she says and sticks out her hand for me to shake.

  “Riddick,” I reply and take her dainty little hand in mine.

  “I know. It’s good to meet you officially. They’re out by the water,” she replies, never letting go of my hand or my gaze. A smug smile wants to escape the confines of my mouth. This woman’s possessiveness and need to protect is written like sweet poetry all over her face. I wait for her to tell me what seems to be troubling this feisty, dark-haired beauty. I’m giving her five seconds to spill her shit, or I’m dropping her hand and politely saying it for her. She may be family to the two of them, but to me, she’s not who I want to talk to right now.

  “She’s lived years thinking your death was her fault. Don’t hurt her. Spread her angel wings and allow her to fly, with you, with Ethan. Please. I’d hate to fuck you up.” There it is. For a second I thought her attitude was a front, but this woman has guts. I like her. She’s tough, a no-bullshit kind of woman. Her strong demeanor weakens before I respond. She chokes up while a single tear cascades down her pretty little face.