The Apple Of My Eye

by Christine McGreggor

  “Kind, generous, smart, funny, caring, and she would do anything for the people she loves. Trust me, I know. She has been alone for too long, and she deserves to be happy. I want you to make her happy.” She poked Hayes in the chest. “You don’t want to make me angry. You won’t like me when I’m angry.”

  “Yes, Ma’am, you have my word.” Hayes saluted the fiery brunette. “Your Hulk impression needs some work though.”

  Kara sighed. “Darn it, I thought it was coming along. I guess the black eye kind of detracts, huh.”

  “A little bit, yes. I wouldn’t worry too much about it though.” Hayes’ expression turned serious. “I have a good friend who is a lawyer. He specializes in family law. Would you like me to have him give you a call?”

  Kara sighed and touched her face again. “Yes, I need to talk to someone. I don’t know how I will afford it, but I guess I can figure out something.”

  “I’m sure he can help you. I don’t think a restraining order costs anything to file, but I don’t have any experience with it.” Hayes looked around at the mess on the lawn. “Why don’t you go back inside and rest. I’m going to stay for a few hours and help Michelle.”

  “Do you have to work tomorrow?”

  Hayes cleared his throat. “I may have cleared my schedule. I have this apple tree pruning project I was hoping to get started on.”

  Kara giggled. “I see. Well I’m sure Michelle appreciates your dedication. Good night, Hayes. See you for pancakes in the morning.”

  Kara headed back inside, passing officer Gonzalez who was on her way out. “Michelle, I’m going to go lay down. Hayes is still outside picking up.” Kara called out as she headed back into the study.

  “Are you sure you want to sleep in here, Kara?” Michelle asked, getting up from the couch. “You can take my bed upstairs if you want.”

  Kara shook her head. “No way, your Gran’s old spare bed is perfectly comfortable, and I can just close the library door. I’m not letting that jerk ruin these rooms for me.”

  “Okay. Try to get some sleep.” Michelle gave her friend a last hug, and went outside to help Hayes finish picking up the front lawn.

  By the time the two managed to bring all of Kara’s scattered possessions inside the house, it was nearly one o’clock in the morning. Despite her desire to keep Hayes with her, Michelle couldn’t stifle her exhausted yawn when she had finished carrying the last box inside. Hayes stretched, and then looked ruefully at the beautiful, tired woman standing next to him.

  “You have had a long night. Go to bed, sweetheart. I will be by in the morning to start work on the tree.” He brushed a hand lightly on her cheek. “That is, if you still want to hire me?”

  “Of course I do.” she yawned again, making him chuckle. As much as Michelle wanted to repeat the passionate encounter from earlier in the evening, she could barely keep her eyes open.

  “Good, then I will see you in the morning. Good night, Michelle.” He swept a light, searing kiss across her lips, pulling back before it could become anything more.

  “Good night Hayes.” Michelle watched as the handsome man turned and walked out the door. She locked the door behind him and dragged herself up the stairs. Falling on the bed, she barely managed to get her clothing off before she fell fast asleep.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Michelle opened her eyes to an enveloping darkness. Her bed was cold and the pillow beside hers was empty. She was alone, just as she had been alone for so many nights before this one. The feeling had become familiar, detested. She was so tired of her grief, tired of unfulfilled longing, tired of the long, black nights. Bitter tears flowed down her cheeks. When would this endless solitude finally be done with her?

  “Michelle! Michelle?” a woman’s voice called to her, familiar and poignant. It drifted through her open window. “What are you doing in bed silly? Don’t you know we are waiting?” Michelle walked to her window and looked out through the open pane. A beautiful woman with dark blond, bobbed hair stood in the back yard. The sun shone down on her, turning her hair to gold. She wore a flour dusted apron over a navy and white polka dot dress, a string of ivory pearls gleamed around her elegant neck. Spotting Michelle at the window, the woman waved.

  “There you are, my Lovey. Come here. The apple tree is blooming.” Michelle realized the woman was standing beneath a huge apple tree, the boughs covered in delicate pink and white blossoms. Michelle inhaled the heady fragrance of the blooms. The perfume seemed to wrap around her, filling her with warmth and beauty. She blinked and she was under the tree, the sunlight shining down on her, dappled through a pink and white curtain. The dress clad woman put an ivory hand on Michelle’s arm and favored her with a dazzling smile. Michelle turned towards the strangely familiar face. A moment later Michelle was being held in the woman’s arms, being showered by kisses from apple blossom pink lips.

  “No more tears my Lovey, no more dark nights. You are done with that now.” The woman took a step back, and a masculine figure approached the pair from behind the blossom laden branches.

  “Michelle.” Hayes’ deep voice rumbled around her. He gathered her into his arms, his eyes gleamed the deep green of summer leaves.

  Michelle could feel the woman’s hands rest lightly on her shoulders as Hayes bent down to kiss her. “I won’t promise you that this will be easy. Love isn’t easy, you know. Love takes work, hard work and devotion. I can promise that he will make you happy, and that I am happy for you. Be blessed, my Lovey. Be content.”

  The gentle pressure of the woman’s hands on Michelle’s shoulders disappeared. Hayes’ lips claimed her own, and her eyes drifted closed. Finally she was safe, loved, finally she belonged to him, and he to her. Satin soft petals began to rain down from the tree above. They fell upon the pair, brushing gently against them in a silent, fragrant shower of approbation.

  Michelle awoke to find golden spring sunshine streaming into the room. She stretched, looking around the small spare bedroom, the idyllic dream still echoing in her mind. A small picture hanging on the wall caught Michelle’s eye. She stepped out of bed and went closer. There in black and white, stood the woman from Michelle’s dream. She was dressed in the same polka dot dress; her hair bobbed neatly, a string of pearls around her neck. A pretty little girl with a shy smile clung to her mother’s skirt, her hands fisted tightly in the apron. An older little boy in a cowboy hat and boots was riding a stick horse on her other side, showing off. The woman had her hands around each of the children, her eyes shining happily as she looked into the camera. “Gran.” Michelle murmured, touching the picture reverently.

  “Shell, are you up yet?” Kara’s voice called from downstairs. “I think you’d better get a move on.”

  “Yes, yes I’m up.” Michelle opened her bedroom door and called downstairs. “What’s going on?”

  “Hayes just messaged your phone. He’s coming over with breakfast in half an hour.” Michelle squeaked in alarm and rushed over to her closet. She heard Kara make her way up the stairs. “Wear the rose pink chenille with the sparkly jeans. You can change when we start painting.”

  “You’re a life saver Kara. How’s your eye?” Michelle winced as her friend walked in the room. Kara’s right eye had turned a wicked looking black purple.

  “It looks worse than it feels, I’ll live.” She shrugged. “Still I think I will opt to tear down wallpaper while you go buy the paint. I don’t really want to go out in public like this. I’d make small children cry. I took the rest of the week off of work, too.”

  “Your boss let you get away with that? She always seemed so strict about vacation policies.”

  Kara looked bemused. “I told her what happened, and it was like I was talking to a completely different person. I think someone replaced her with the boss from a different dimension. She told me to take the whole week off, and she e-mailed me a brochure about the company’s legal representation benefits.” She shrugged. “I didn’t even know we had those.”

  Michelle looked at
her friend, surprised. “Wow, that’s great.”

  “Yes, turn out she does have a heart after all. Now get a move on, so that you don’t scare off Batman with your morning breath.”

  Michelle headed downstairs and jumped in the shower. By the time she was clean and dressed, Hayes was standing in the kitchen. Styrofoam boxes filled with breakfast foods were spread out on the island counter. “Good morning, Beautiful.” Hayes’ face lit up when he saw Michelle.

  “Good morning, Hayes. Look at all of this food!” Michelle leaned over to admire the offerings.

  “Apparently Batman here thinks we need to feed an army,” Kara teased as she scooped up a box full of pancakes. “Dibs.” She walked to the dining room with her prize, closing the kitchen door behind her.

  “I wasn’t sure what you would like, so I just got a little bit of everything,” Hayes admitted, surveying his purchases. “I think Kara may have a point. This is a lot of food.”

  “I think it’s wonderful. We can eat the leftovers for lunch. I’m going to throw together stew for dinner. Will you be here all day?” Michelle asked her tone hopeful.

  “I will be here today and probably all of tomorrow too. After that, I have a few other jobs I need to get done.” Hayes considered the piles of food. “What are you going to have?

  Michelle picked up a box of Belgian waffles and a to-go coffee cup that had “Michelle” written on it in sharpie. She took a sip, and sighed appreciatively. “Ooh, caramel mocha, my favorite. How did you know?”

  “Kara’s been telling me your innermost secrets.” Hayes smiled and picked up an omelet. “I’m eternally in her debt.”

  “I’m going to have to have a little talk with her. She’s giving away all my weaknesses.”

  “Oh? The divine Miss Perry has weaknesses?” Hayes put his food down and stalked towards her around the counter. “I wonder what they could be?”

  Michelle put her food back on the island and edged away, playfully staying just out of his reach. “I’ll never tell.”

  Hayes’ voice was a bass growl. “We’ll see about that.” With a lightning fast lunge his arms wrapped around her, securing his prize. His mouth came down on hers and Michelle melted into his embrace. Michelle buried her hands in his silky soft hair, mewling in the back of her throat as his tongue mated with hers. His embraced tightened, pressing her soft breasts against the hardened planes of his chest. He broke the kiss, pulling a fraction of an inch away to admire his prisoner. “I think I might have just found another one.”

  Michelle nodded shakily. “I think you have.” Her stomach grumbled audibly. “Apparently my stomach is a third.”

  Hayes chuckled. “Right, let’s take care of that, shall we?” He gently loosed Michelle from his embrace. “Food first, then work, and afterward… we can talk about weaknesses some more.” With a final searing glance he retreated with his breakfast to the dining room.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The rest of the morning flew by. After breakfast, Michelle threw the ingredients for her stew together in the slow cooker. Then she headed to the home improvement store to buy the paint and wallpaper remover for the master bedroom. When she got back, Kara was already hard at work, removing layers of wallpaper from the walls. The girls spent the rest of the morning hard at work, first getting every shred of paper taken down, and then applying the primer. Over their late lunch break, Kara explained that she would be leaving for a few hours.

  “Hayes had a friend of his call me. He’s in family law and he’s made some time to see me this afternoon. He said filing the restraining order won’t cost anything, and he’s agreed to help me work through the rest of the paperwork.” She dangled a sliver of bacon in front of Galoshes, who was threading his way between Kara’s legs, hoping for a handout.

  “That’s great Kara. Don’t worry about me. I'll wait until the primer dries and start putting on the base coat.” Michelle watched her cat grab the bacon and make for the living room. “You know that’s not good for him, right?”

  Kara shrugged. “Get a dog, and I will feed him the bacon instead.” She snickered as Michelle firmly shut the Styrofoam box holding the bacon. “Oh, and I’m not worried. I’m sure you will find something, or someone, to do.” Kara’s eyes slid outside to where Hayes’ company truck was parked.

  Michelle, blushed, and swatted her friend. “You’re hopeless, Kara.”

  “Yep, I am! That’s why you love me. Anyways, I’m heading out. I should be back for dinner.” With that Kara popped out of her seat and grabbing her purse, headed out the front door.

  Michelle grabbed the last of the leftovers and stored them back in the refrigerator. Looking at the remaining boxes, she realized Hayes must already have eaten. She wandered out onto the lawn to check on Hayes’ progress pruning the big McIntosh. She absently rubbed the light gray primer from her hands as she surveyed his handiwork. The tree had been transformed. The wild, over grown limbs which had been growing in every direction were now tamed under his expert hand. The overgrowth into the alley had been removed. The boughs now easily cleared the small street. Michelle stood back admiring the elegant umbrella shaped profile Hayes had coaxed from the old tree. A shadow of movement from beyond the tree caught her attention. Michelle stood on tiptoe, but she couldn’t tell what had caused the motion.

  Hayes’ voice drew her attention away from the mysterious shadow. “Well, what do you think?” He stepped around his company pickup, where he had been loading the trimmed tree branches for removal. He made his way over to her, putting an arm around her waist. The two admired the tree together.

  Michelle shook her head in wonder. “It looks amazing, better than it has looked in years.”

  Hayes grinned proudly. “I’m glad you think so. There is still a lot of work to do, and the tree will need to continue to be pruned heavily each spring, while we bring the babies up.”

  Michelle blinked in surprise. “Babies?”

  Hayes’ face flushed a deep pink. “Uh, young trees, I meant. Not human babies.” He ran a nervous hand through his chestnut hair. “Well, maybe human babies too, but that’s not what I was talking about.”

  Michelle giggled at his discomfiture. Her heart soared. Hayes was seriously considering the thought of them together, raising a family. She stepped in front of him, putting both arms around his waist, gazing into his handsome green eyes. “Human babies too?”

  The blush in his cheeks intensified. “I know it is kind of crazy to be thinking about a family so soon after we’ve met.”

  Michelle’s smile was transcendent. “I don’t think it is crazy, Hayes. I think it’s wonderful. I think you’re wonderful.” She stood on tiptoe and claimed his lips in a kiss.

  She felt his chest rise and fall as Hayes sighed in relief and pleasure. He left the bliss of her lips, his hand stroking the silky fall of her hair. “Michelle, speaking of human babies, what about birth control?”

  Michelle smiled, pleased that he was so considerate of her. “Don’t worry; I’m on the pill, and as of my last checkup, healthy as a horse.”

  Hayes gave a relieved sigh. “Good, I am too. We have nothing to worry about then.” His arm about her waist tightened, and his free hand rose up to gently cup the back of her head. He renewed and deepened the kiss, Michelle’s mouth opening to the gentle demand of Hayes’ lips. Once again his tongue slipped between her teeth, his delicious, earthy flavor filling her mouth and nose. She wondered if his skin would taste the same way. She pulled away from the kiss, burying her face in his neck, the tip of her tongue darting out to sample the sensitive skin over his pulse. He tasted like salty sweat, and beneath that, the elemental taste that was purely, uniquely him. Hayes shuddered in response, and suddenly Michelle was no longer standing. Hayes lifted her against him, one hand under her knees, the other cradling her waist and back.

  Sighing happily, Michelle threw her arms about his neck, still nuzzling the tender spot above his pulse. His ground eating gait brought them quickly across the lawn. Carefully he opened t
he kitchen door and took her inside. “Is Kara home?” he growled, his voice a deep, provocative rumble in his chest.

  Michelle shook her head no. “She went to meet with her lawyer.”

  “Good.” Hayes strode through the kitchen and hallway. He took the stairs two at a time until he finally reached the door to the spare bedroom. Walking inside, he gently set Michelle back on her feet and then locked the bedroom door behind them. “No more interruptions.” He turned back to his woman, wrapping an arm around her to pull her close. His mouth descended on hers, plundering, while Michelle unzipped his jacket, eager to feel his bare chest against hers. His possessive, demanding tongue explored her mouth, circling and teasing while Michelle responded in kind. Her loins began to pulse in time with the gentle rhythm of their fencing tongues. Hayes shrugged out of his jacket and then slipped an eager hand underneath Michelle’s shirt, sliding up her back until he found the strap of her bra. With a deft movement he undid the closure, his hand following the satin fabric around her ribcage to her left breast. The delicate brush of his fingertips on the soft orb caused her to cry out, her body aflame with longing.

  Michelle broke the kiss, panting. She pulled her paint spattered shirt over her head while Hayes plucked at the button of her jeans. Michelle threw her shirt onto the floor wiggling her hips to encourage the jeans removal. Hayes groaned at the erotic movement, his hands now both dedicated to the task of undressing her. The denim slid to the floor. Michelle stepped delicately free of her pants, and then her socks, as Hayes slipped her bra from her body. He took a step back, admiring the beauty of her nearly nude body. His eyes were twin emeralds as he took in every bare inch. “You are the finest thing I have ever seen.”

  Michelle blushed, the heat of his gaze making her shy. She took a step back and looked away from his blazing eyes, towards the floor. Her right arm covered the tight buds of her rosy nipples. She could hear the soft sound of clothing hitting the wooden floor. Hayes captured the concealing limb, ever so gently lifting it away from her body. He placed a tender kiss on the palm of Michelle’s hand. “Michelle sweetheart, look at me.” His voice was firm, entreating. Her eyes returned to his handsome features. “You don’t ever have to be afraid or embarrassed with me. I care about you.” His right hand stroked her cheek. “If this is going too fast, if you need me to stop, I will.”