Embracing Series Box Set #1-6

by Delisa Lynn

  She squeals. “Yes, you did get two ponies, didn’t ya?”

  “Scar, why don’t you come with Mommy? Daddy needs to call Uncle Zander about some work.”

  “Good idea, babe. Should I tell him?” I ask, knowing that everyone is going to find out soon.

  “Well, of course. You’re going to need a good lawyer, and other than you, my brother is the best.” She winks as she kisses me, then disappears through the house into the kitchen.

  I walk out onto the porch and sit down on the front stoop. I look around and see that Bryn is gone. I take my phone out of my jean pocket and call Zander.

  “Hey, brother. We’re actually on our way over for Scar’s party.”

  “Yeah, I need to talk to you. It can wait until you get here. See you soon,” I say, sliding my phone off. Audrey and Zander just live a little ways up the road with their three kids, so they’ll be here in no time.

  I sit, thinking back to all those years ago, wondering why Brynlee lied to me. She hid my son from me, from my family. Now that he needs me, she wants to let me know about him. Climbing to my feet, I walk back into the house. I find Ta in the kitchen. Her face is red and her eyes are puffy.

  “I had no idea, Ta,” I whisper as I wrap my arms around her waist.

  “I know you didn’t, but you have to help him. He is your son, Evan. And you…you are a wonderful man. You have a heart of gold, and to turn your back on him would be a mistake.”

  “It’s been seventeen years, and now she is living ten miles from us and she shows up saying he needs me. Do you know how fucked up this is?” I ask, but I know she is just as stunned as I am.

  She places her hands on either side of my face. “I know, and yes, it’s very fucked up what she did. But he’s yours, and he needs you. If you aren’t a match, maybe your dad is?”

  “You expect me to call my father and drag him into this?” My dad hasn’t been too healthy lately. I’ve begged him to move here, to Alabama, and he refuses to leave Utah.

  “Yes!” she snaps. “That boy is our family. We will help him however we can.” She turns just in time to see her mother’s face.

  “Who are y’all talking about?” Viv asks.

  “We had a visitor earlier. Apparently, my high school girlfriend gave birth to my child, and now he needs a kidney.” I hear gasps from the hall. I turn to see Audrey, Zander, their three kids, Nikki, Brody, and their two kids.

  “Brynlee?” Brody stammers as he walks into the kitchen. “No fucking way!”

  “Language!” Nikki smacks his back.

  “Sorry, kids, why don’t you go find Scar? I bet Ringo’s out by the barn,” Brody says. Ringo is our golden retriever.

  “Good idea. Come on, I’ll take you all out,” Tatum says. She leads all the kids through the back door. Four sets of eyes are gawking at me.

  Zander is the first to speak. “So, you have a child that’s been kept from you for how damn long?”

  “Almost seventeen years. Oh, and get this…the mayor is Brynlee’s husband. They live ten miles from me and have been here for three years!” I grab a hold of the counter. My knuckles are so white.

  Audrey places her hand on my arm. “Evan, are you sure he is yours?”

  “Jesus, Audrey. Do you have a fucking filter?” Nikki whisper-yells. “Evan, we can help however we can. Just tell us what to do.” She smiles softly.

  “Well, apparently he needs a kidney, and Brynlee thinks I can be a match.” Her words about him needing a kidney and me being a match keep playing over and over in my head. Sighing, I run my hand down my face. “I have no clue what to do.”

  “Brother, you’re going to get a DNA test. That’s the first thing you’re going to do.” Zander pats my back. “But right now, we have a party to celebrate, so let’s go make these kids’ day with the ponies I brought.”

  “Good idea. I need a fucking drink.” I grab a beer from the fridge and shake my head. “I just can’t believe she never told me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Tatum

  It’s been two days since Evan’s ex announced that her son is my husband’s son and needs a kidney transplant. Evan has been a basket case. He’s been moody and snappy. He’s been drinking like crazy. Today, I’m going into town to meet up with Brynlee. I called her and informed her that we needed more information. Evan is refusing to see the boy, but I know that he’s just hurting. He is a wonderful father to our children. I have loved him for as long as I can remember and he’s never been the angry type. I pull up to Mable’s, our local eatery.

  I choose a corner booth and wait for Bryn to arrive. Every time I come here, I think back to the summer Evan Martin captured my heart.

  Is this love? Or infatuation? There’s this boy, and he stole my heart. I’ve always liked being around him, but this year, my feelings for him are different. He’s a year older than me, but he has never treated me like I was younger than him. I always go swimming with Zander and Evan at the swim hole, but every time I look at him, I get butterflies in my stomach. My friend Audrey says it’s because I’m in love with him. I think he’s cute, but I have never thought of him like that before, until now. Things are different. The way he looks at me makes my heart melt.

  As I walk through the farm, my stomach is in knots. Once I reach the swimming hole, I see Evan and Zander standing there. I decided to wear my yellow swimsuit with a bow on the back today. When the boys notice me, I run and jump in the water. They both laugh and follow me in. Evan has changed since last summer. His voice is deeper. He has a little hair on his chest and his eyes are dark as night. I’m positive he has a girlfriend back home.

  “Ta, where are you going?” Evan asks as I walk toward the grass to grab my towel. I can’t help but stare at him as he walks toward me. I hurry to cover my body with the towel. He has on royal blue swim shorts. The way the sunlight shines on his handsome face makes me gasp when he gets closer. I lick my lips. I really want to kiss him. I’ve never kissed anyone. Well, no one other than Boney Tony on a bet when I was ten. Audrey wouldn’t have let me live it down if I hadn’t followed through.

  “Hey, Evan. I got a little chilly and wanted to dry off. I think I’m going to grab Pudgy and go riding. Would you like to join me?” I ask, but I hope he declines my invitation. Not that I don’t want to spend time with him. I’m just afraid that I’ll say something stupid or just keep staring at him. He is very easy to stare at.

  “I would love to go riding. It’s been a while. I’ll go change and meet you back at the stables in about an hour. I think Zander has plans anyway, so it’ll probably just be the two of us.” He winks at me and flashes those dimples that I hadn’t noticed before now.

  “Kay,” I say as I nod my head and walk the other way. I need to go home and take another shower. The swimming hole always smells awful. Of course, it’s just a huge mud hole with water, so of course it smells like the farm. I can’t think of anything other than Evan’s smile all the way home.

  When I walk into my house, I head straight to my room. I shower and pull my hair back in a low ponytail. I want to look nice for Evan. I pull out a purple V-neck t-shirt and a pair of white shorts with my black and purple cowgirl boots. I spray myself down with my favorite lavender body spray. I add a little bit of makeup. I rarely wear makeup, but today is different. I hope he likes the way I look. Just as I walk off the porch, Zander and Evan walk up the driveway.

  Crapola, I hope Zander doesn’t see that I did all this for his friend…

  “Damn, Tatum, you have a hot date? I thought you and Evan were going to the stables,” Zander says as he cocks his head and looks at Evan, then back to me.

  Oh crap, what am I supposed to say? I know they can see the embarrassment in my cheeks.

  “Tatum and I are going to Mable’s for ice cream before we go riding, if that’s okay with you, man,” Evan says to Zander.

  I just stare at the both of them as Zander nods. Evan grabs my hand and we walk through the graveled driveway. Oh my gosh, he’s holding
my hand. I know my palms are all sweaty. I can feel my heart racing as I try to speak. There’s a lump in my throat.

  He changed into a pair of camouflage shorts and a camo green t-shirt. As the wind blows by, I can smell his cologne. It smells manly, not like the stinky stuff my brother uses.

  “Evan, you don’t have to take me for ice cream. We can just go riding, if you want.” My voice is barely above a whisper.

  He lets go of my hand and turns around to face me. I drop my head a little so he can’t see my eyes. He lifts my chin with his finger. Our eyes connect and my face burns with nervousness and anticipation. I lick my lips and lean forward. His lips brush mine and I feel a tingle in my stomach. This isn’t at all like the kiss with Boney Tony. Evan’s tongue separates my lips. I don’t know what to do, so I open my mouth and slide my tongue in his. Our tongues dance together for what seems like hours.

  Evan backs away, looks at me, and says, “Tatum, you look very pretty, darlin’. Now, let’s get that ice cream.”

  “’Kay, thanks!” My stomach drops to my toes.

  We walk, hand in hand, to Mable’s. I hope that this will be the beginning of a romantic relationship with Evan. I can’t wait to go home and tell Audrey about the kiss. She’ll be just as excited as I am.

  Evan and I have a great summer together. He only kisses me a couple more times, but I enjoy every minute we spend together. We talk about our goals and dreams. I love cows and I tell him I want to become a cow doctor. He laughs at me and says he wants to become a pro football player or a lawyer.

  I personally think he should be a country singer. His voice is beautiful. He could melt many hearts with his singing. It’s time for Evan to return to Utah, and I won’t see him again until Christmas break. He promised to write every day, but he’s starting high school this year and will be busy.

  I know, the moment he gets home, he will forget about our summer and our first kiss, and that he will forget about me.

  “Hi, Tatum. I’m so sorry I was running late,” Brynlee says, interrupting my daydreaming.

  “No worries. Please, have a seat.” I motion toward the seat across from me. “How is Elijah doing today?”

  “He’s about the same. He really needs this transplant. I brought some pictures to show you.” She opens up an album, and my heart almost stops beating.

  The little boy is the spitting image of my Emmette. He has dark hair and dark eyes. As I flip through the pages, I see he is getting older and still looks like a Martin. The more recent the pictures, the more frail and weak the young man looks. I gasp as I look at the last picture. He is sitting in a hospital bed with a guitar, singing to patients.

  “I can’t believe how much he looks like Evan.” I suck in a breath. “He sings?”

  She smiles weakly. “He loves music. I knew, once he picked up the guitar, that he was gonna take after Evan.” She places her manicured hand on mine. “I’m sorry to bring this on you all, but my baby really needs this. I also have a ten year old, and she is not a match either. I have checked my entire family.”

  I choke back the sob lodged in the base of my throat. “I wanna meet him. I’ll talk to Evan. He’s hurt and angry. He mourned for the both of you for so long. It took him years to get over the abortion. Not to mention he was so in love with you.” My heart tightens even though I accepted his old feelings for Bryn long ago.

  She closes her eyes. “I’ll forever be grateful if Evan will do this. I know he hates me. I wanted to come to him so many times, but I knew he’d moved on and was happy with his life. I’ll be honest, had Elijah not needed a kidney, I would’ve never told Evan about him. I’m sure that Elijah would have looked him up once he turned eighteen, but I knew that if Evan knew, he would hate me more than he did all those years ago. I love that man. Even though it’s been seventeen years, I’ll always love him.”

  I snort. “Hell, who doesn’t love Evan Martin? He’s sexy, sweet, and loving. Elijah has missed out on so much. Please give Evan some time. I’m gonna have him call his dad to see if he is a match.” I have a lot of work to do on my husband. I’m a little jealous that she still loves him. She will not get her claws in my husband.

  “Thank you so much. I’m gonna head to the hospital. Please keep me posted.” She stands, as do I. “You’re an amazing woman, Tatum. Evan is damn lucky that he has you.” She hugs me.

  “Thank you, but I am the lucky one. I’ve allowed so many women to borrow his heart. All along, it belonged to me.” And that’s the truth.

  ***

  My parents are keeping the kids tonight. After meeting with Bryn this morning, I told Evan that he needs to go see Elijah. He can see for himself that he is, in fact, his son. I still can’t believe how much he looks like the Martins.

  I change into a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt. Then I pull my hair into a messy bun on top of my head. I feel more bloated with this pregnancy than I felt with the other two combined.

  “You’re so fucking sexy,” Evan says from the doorway.

  “And I’m all yours, sweetheart.” I wink. “Come and let me taste those sexy lips,” I say, licking my own.

  “Now, you know if you start this, we won’t be going anywhere. We’ll be in the bed, you’ll be on all fours, and my dick will be buried in that sweet pussy of yours.” He crosses his arms over his chest.

  My heart starts beating rapidly. I grab my chest. “I think I just came. But you’re right, we better get going. Is this outfit okay?”

  “You could wear a burlap sack and still be the best looking MILF around.”

  “Evan Lawrence Martin, you did not just call me a MILF.” I roll my eyes and shove past him.

  He grabs my wrist. “You know you’re the only MILF for me.” His lips brush mine and he growls in my mouth.

  “Let’s go,” he mumbles.

  “I love you so much.” I smile.

  “Not as much as I love you.” He kisses me again.

  And this is how he swept me off my feet all those years ago.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Evan

  As I walk into the hospital, I can feel my pulse racing. My heart feels like it’s going to pop out of my chest. Tatum grabs my hand. Bryn is meeting us at the coffee shop here in the hospital. I feel nervous, anxious, and scared. What if he hates me for not being there for him all these years? I keep thinking of all the what if’s. My mind is racing.

  As soon as Bryn comes into view, I feel nauseous. A young man in a wheelchair is sitting next to her. He’s the spitting image of me as a teen.

  “Told you he looked like you. Just breathe, baby. Just breathe,” Tatum whispers.

  “Evan, Tatum. Thank you both so much for coming. This handsome young man is Elijah,” Bryn says, placing her hands on Elijah’s shoulders.

  “Nice to meet you both. Mom was right about one thing. I look just like you, sir.” He laughs. “Heard you’re a hell of a singer.”

  “Mouth, Elijah.” Bryn grins from behind him.

  “What? That’s exactly what you said.” He reaches his hand out to me. “Thanks for coming. I know that my mom hasn’t been honest with you. I was going to find you when I was old enough to.”

  I bend down and give him a hug. He embraces me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, son,” I say. “I’m so glad that your mother came to me. I want to help any way that I can.” The words leave my mouth before my head can register what I’m saying. I hear a gasp behind me and turn around to see a red-nosed, wet-faced Tatum.

  “I’m Tatum, Evan’s wife.” She reaches her hand to Elijah. He shakes it. “Can I hug you?”

  “Of course you can. Who would turn down a hug from a pretty lady like yourself?” He flashes his Martin smile. “Sir, I can see why you snagged this pretty lady up.”

  “Elijah Martin! Behave yourself,” Brynlee says.

  “Martin?” I look at Bryn. “He has my last name?”

  “Martin is his middle name. Grover is his last name, my maiden name.”

  Just from lookin
g at him, I know he is mine, but we need to do the DNA test and see if I am, in fact, a good match. He needs this transplant, and as much as I hate his mother for keeping him away from me all these years, I can’t let him pay for what she’s done. I watch as he laughs and talks with Tatum and his mother. He seems like a bright young man.

  “Bryn, when we do the test, when will they have the results?” I ask, sitting in the chair next to her.

  “They said they can put a rush on things. They’ll have the results as soon as tomorrow.” She lowers her voice. “I’ve also asked for a paternity test. I know that he is yours, but I want the proof, more for you than anyone. I was never with anyone other than you.”

  “I know you weren’t, and I appreciate you wanting to do this for me. I hope that I am a match so I can help him.”

  “God, me too. We’ve tried so many times, but everyone we tested just turned out to be a waste of time.”

  “Mom, can we go back to my room?” Elijah asks. “I would like to show the Martin’s my guitar.”

  “Of course we can, sweetie. Do you want another smoothie before we head back up?” Bryn leans in and kisses the top of his head.

  “Thanks, but I’m good.” He places his hands on the wheels of his chair.

  “I can push you, if you just lead the way,” I say, grabbing the handles.

  “That’d be great, thanks!” He points at the elevators.

  ***

  After Tatum, Bryn, and I listen to Elijah sing a few songs, the tech comes in and draws some blood and swabs my and Elijah’s mouths for the DNA test. Getting my mouth swabbed reminds me of the DNA test I had to perform with Lila and Liam for Greyson. Although that was a little over six years ago, I remember that day very vividly.

  “Evan, we should get going. Visiting hours were over an hour ago,” Tatum whispers in my ear.