Someone to Love

by Hampton, Lena

  She was jolted out of her bad mood when she heard little feet walking down the stairs. Her handsome little boy was wearing dark blue jeans and a baby blue shirt, perfectly tucked in his pants. The only thing off was his messy hair, but she purposely told the nanny to save that job for her. She was the only one that knew how to handle her baby boy’s hair.

  She smiled and grabbed his hand, “Come Мое сердце.”

  “Come on Mama, I wanna go to the garden,” Nathan said jumping up and down by her bedroom door.

  Anya smiled and walked to him grabbing his hand. “Alright, Мое сердце. We will go to the garden, but first we have to go and meet your Papa’s friend. He has a daughter too, so be nice. Are you ready?”

  Nathan nodded. “Is she going with us to the garden?” he asked looking up at her with his innocent gray eyes.

  Anya leaned down and kissed his chubby little cheek. “Yes, she is. So you have to be extra sweet today, a gentleman. Can you do that?” She pinched his cheeks.

  Nathan giggled and nodded, “Yes, Mama.”

  “Okay, let’s go.” And they started for the stairs.

  Once they made it downstairs they walked into the living room where Angelo stood talking in hushed tones to a tall, incredibly handsome African American man. Anya had to blink to make sure he was real. It seemed ridiculous for a man that handsome to be in the type of business Angelo was in. The man should be a model posing in underwear on a billboard in New York City, Anya was sure he could pull it off. But then again maybe not, there was something about him, something that kind of scared her. The man was very beautiful but he also seemed very dangerous. Anya shook her head and focused. This was no time to be ogling some handsome stranger in her living room. Once she fully focused her attention on her surroundings she found that both men were staring at her. She blushed. She had been staring at the handsome stranger much too long.

  She cleared her throat and straightened herself up. “Hello,” she greeted in a soft voice. The stranger smiled at her.

  “Hello,” he replied. His voice was smooth, deep and a bit hypnotizing.

  Angelo cleared his throat and glared at her. “Anya, this is a friend of mine, Spook. Spook, this is my wife, Anya, and my son, Nathan.”

  Spook? What the hell kind of name is Spook. Anya didn’t know or care. She thought the guy was supposed to have a daughter, but she didn’t see a little girl anywhere.

  “Anya and Nathan are going to keep Carter with them, while you and I go to my office and handle our business,” Angelo said waiting for Spook’s approval.

  Spook nodded his head but his facial expression remained impassive. He turned his body and kneeled down to the floor. “Carter, I want you to go with the nice woman and her son. I’ll be back soon.”

  Anya heard a small whimper, and then heard a tiny voice say “No” as firm as her little voice could.

  “Enough, Carter. We don’t cry remember? Now, do as I say.” Spook reprimanded softly.

  From what Anya could hear the little girl had to be quite young, so she understood her fear of being with strangers, but she still couldn’t see her.

  Anya heard a small sniff and another whimper, “But I want to stay with you,” she whispered. Her voice was so soft and so sweet, Anya almost didn’t hear it. She wanted to go over and pick up the sad little girl and hold her tight in her arms.

  Anya noticed some movement next to her and she looked down to see Nathan trying to get out of her grasp. Once he twisted free, he walked confidently over to Spook and the hidden little girl. Nathan walked in front of Spook- where Anya assumed the girl was standing- and the three adults looked on curious to see what Nathan was going to do.

  Spook stood up and moved to the side, and Anya got her first glimpse of his little girl. A stunning little hazel eyed girl, who couldn’t be more than three, stared up at Nathan with sad eyes and a tear stained face. Her skin was a gorgeous chocolate shade of brown, and she had the most beautiful thick black hair. It cascaded down her back and ended at her waist. She was so small, and so sad, that Anya wanted to do anything she could to put a smile on her beautiful little face.

  Nathan approached Cater slowly with a smile on his handsome face. “Hi, Carter. I’m Nathan,” he said waving at her. The little girl smiled, it was a small sad smile, but a smile nonetheless.

  Nathan walked a little closer to Carter. Without another word, he held out his hand for her to take, and Anya was a little shocked when her tiny hand took his without any hesitation. Nathan held tight to her hand as he led her through the living room over to where Anya was standing. He looked up at her. “Are you ready Mama? Carter’s gonna love the garden.” Nathan turned and looked at Carter, “I’ll give you a pretty flower and then you won’t be sad anymore, okay?” Nathan said looking into Carter’s sad eyes. He moved her long hair from her face.

  Carter nodded her head and put her thumb in her mouth as Nathan began to lead her to the garden, still holding tight to her hand. Anya had to smile; her little boy was a gentleman, just like he said he would be. Anya looked up and noticed a small smile on Spooks handsome face as he watched the kids leave the room, and Angelo’s smile was all “Proud Papa.”

  “Have a good meeting. We will be out back in garden,” Anya said as she turned to leave the room.

  “Thank you, Anya. She’s a good girl and she shouldn’t cause you any trouble. Still, I appreciate you keeping an eye on her for me,” Spook said genuinely.

  Anya was touched by his gratitude. “You’re very welcome,” she replied and she turned and left the room.

  Anya needed to catch up with the kids, but she knew they were safe in the garden so she took her time. She quickly ran upstairs to retrieve her camera; she didn’t want to miss anything thing adorable. She wanted to have future evidence of how sweet her Nathan could be for “teenage year’s” reinforcement. She would make sure he remembered how to be a gentleman even if it killed her. It was either that or risks him being an asshole like his father.

  After making some lemonade and snacks for them to have in the picnic area, Anya made her way to the garden.

  Once Anya made it outside to the garden, she sat the snacks on the picnic table and set out to find the kids. The garden was large, but she knew where Nathan would be. It was his favorite spot in the entire garden; a big white gazebo decorated with flowers and a big cushy swing with white plush pillows. Her sweet baby boy had taken many naps on that swing.

  As she approached the gazebo, she saw Carter sitting there alone on the swing. She was so small. Her sad eyes were locked on her tiny hands in her lap. Anya was about to move closer to ask where Nathan was when she saw her little man climb up the Gazebo steps. He had one yellow rose in each little hand. With her camera ready in hand, Anya stood back to see what was going to happen next.

  Nathan sat up on the swing next to Carter, and she looked up at him. He smiled brightly at her, and handed her one of the roses in his hand. Carter took the rose out of his hand, and stared at it, not uttering a word. Nathan’s little hand pushed Carter’s hair away from her tear slicked face. He leaned over and kissed her cheek sweetly. Anya smiled and captured the kiss with her camera. “Don’t cry.” Anya heard him whisper.

  “Here, my Mama says roses give us wishes. Do you like wishes?” Nathan asked enthusiastically and Carter nodded her head.

  “To get a wish you have to kiss the rose, like this.” Nathan gave the roses a quick kiss and Carter smiled at him.

  “Such a beautiful little girl,” Anya said to herself and she walked forward toward the kids. “What are you two silly bugs doing?” She asked with a bright smile on her face.

  Both Nathan and Carter giggled. She snapped another picture. “We’re getting wishes!” Nathan looked up at her excitedly.

  “Let me see that rose please,” Anya said reaching for Nathan’s rose and he handed it to her.

  Anya kneeled on her knees in front of Carter. “Did you kiss your rose yet?”

  “Nope she hasn’t,” Nathan
answered for her.

  “Well Carter, if you give a rose your sweetest kiss, the stars will grant you all you wish. Don’t you want that?” Anya asked, and Carter nodded.

  Anya smiled. “Then come, we will do it together.” Together they kissed their roses and Anya made a wish, a silly one, but a wish. She looked at the beautiful little girl in front of her, and then looked at her handsome little boy. She dreamed of them sitting in the garden with little brown babies running around them. She envisioned a beautiful wedding in the garden with only select guests, of her choosing of course. Yes, a silly wish indeed, but after seeing the way her sweet boy behaved with the little beauty, it was one that couldn’t be avoided. Anya wanted Nathan to have everything she didn’t, and that included love. And whether it be someone she doesn’t know yet or this beautiful little girl here in front of her, which she preferred. Anya prayed that her little Nathan would have the life and love that she could only dream of having.

  ***

  Beautiful Stranger

  The plane ride to Hope Beach was the most fun Nathan had experienced in a long time. He’d forgotten how much fun it was to hang out with Mickey, and even though he didn’t say it out loud, he was kind of looking forward to the trip with the brothers.

  When they got off the plane Nathan was greeted by the warm winds and sunny sky. He was glad they made it to Hope Beach before dark so he could look around the “little piece of heaven,” as Kyle called it. And he was right. Hope Beach was beautiful. The sunny sky, warm breeze, the beautiful luxury homes, manicured lawns, and the gorgeous Hope Garden, all took Nathan’s breath away. He couldn’t take his eyes off of the beautiful assorted flowers that gave the garden a rainbow effect. It made him remember his mother. She loved gardens and she’d spent most of her time tending to her own. Gardening was a skill she had taught Nathan when he was very young. His father would always tell her that it wasn’t a skill that a man needed to possess, but his mother continued to teach him anyway. Nathan didn’t mind it at all, as a matter of fact, it brought him peace. Together-with the help of professionals- he and his mother built a beautiful garden that Nathan hadn’t visited since her death.

  Nathan was still admiring the beauty as he waited for the stop light to change. When he looked up he saw the light was still red, so he turned his attention back to the garden. He noticed a large rose garden full of beautiful roses of various colors and his eyes settled on the yellow patch, those were his mother’s favorite. He remembered how she used them as decoration in their home and on his favorite big white gazebo, and the memory brought a smile to his face. It was memories like these that made him miss her even more.

  He was enjoying the good memories of his mother when he notice a pair of gorgeous brown legs appear in front of the yellow roses directly in his line of sight. His eyes began to journey upward to see the owner of those beautiful legs only to find a woman with her back toward him. She bent forward and picked up a rose that wasn’t rotted in the ground, giving Nathan a mouthwatering view of her incredible ass in the pair of khaki shorts she wore. Damn, he thought biting down on his bottom lip. She had the perfect ass, round, plump, and it looked soft as hell. Nathan was sure it would fit so perfectly in his hand.

  When she stood up, she flicked her beautiful long hair over her shoulder. Nathan didn’t know if he had ever seen hair that beautiful before. It looked so soft, like a thick black cloud that ended in the middle of her back. Nathan yearned to feel it against his skin. His eyes traveled to her beautiful legs again and he admired her gorgeous skin tone. God, her skin looked as smooth as silk, and as sweet as a rich Hershey’s chocolate bar. He really wished she would turn around so he could see her face.

  And he got his wish.

  When she turned around, for the second time in minutes, something in Hope Beach had taken Nathan’s breath away.

  He was stuck, gazing at the stunning woman standing in the rose garden. She looked to be far away in thought as small smile appeared on her beautiful face. She brought the rose up to the most beautiful full lips Nathan had ever seen, and placed a soft kiss on it. Nathan’s breath caught as a rush of memories flashed through his mind of him and his mother in their garden. His mother would pick up one of her roses and kiss it then recite something she made up that Nathan just couldn’t remember at the moment.

  Shaking his head of the memory, his attention went back to the beauty in the garden. Her hair blew in the wind, and the sun kissed her smooth milk chocolate skin perfectly. She looked like an angel. Nathan was fighting to stay in the car, but it was like an invisible force was pushing him to jump out of the car, take her in his arms, and kiss her senseless. He wanted to know her name. No, he needed to know her name. He needed to know the memory that put that beautiful smile on her face. He needed to know w-

  “Nathan! Hello, earth to Nathan!”

  Nathan blinked rapidly and shook his head. What the fuck was wrong with him? Was he actually considering jumping from his car to run across to the street and confess his love to a complete stranger? Holy shit…

  He looked at Mickey, who was giving him a striking What-the-Fuck look, Nathan frowned. “What?”

  Mickey pointed to the traffic light, “Its green. It’s been green. Where the hell were you man?”

  He could hear the horns blare from the drivers behind him but he wanted to steal one more peek at the beautiful stranger. When he looked her way once more, his breath caught in his chest. She was looking at him! She had a confused expression on her face, most likely wondering why the idiot in the black BMW was holding up traffic. Their eyes met, and damn it, Nathan was stuck again!

  Her eyes were most beautiful hazel with a hint of green and they held him captive, he was powerless against them. A slow smile appeared on her beautiful face and Nathan couldn’t help but mirror her smile. She raised her hand and waved at him which made him smile wider. She let out a shy giggle and shook her head, and Nathan could have sworn he swooned like a little bitch.

  Nathan was completely captivated by her. Her smile was warm and her eyes were expressive, it was like they were having a conversation without even speaking to one another. He was going to run to her, he needed to run to her. Why the hell did he need to run to her?

  ***

  Read Carter and Nathan’s story in Dangerous Beauty, Part One: Destiny available on Amazon Kindle May 2014.

  Sneak Peek: The Nearness of You

  A few months ago

  Ryan Clark dialed the number again. She had to pick up. She had to answer the phone soon. After four rings her voice came on the line, but it wasn’t her, it was the voicemail again. He ended the call and dialed again getting the same result. He knew she was probably no where near her phone. Today was the day she was moving. Right now she was probably hanging her clothes in the closet next to his or adding feminine touches to his former bachelor pad. Either way, she wouldn’t have her phone at the ready to answer his call.

  “Ryan, you’re going live in five,” his producer said as she passed by.

  He tried calling again. Hoping against hope that she would pick up this time and he’d be able to tell her something in those few minutes that would keep her clothes in the drawers next to his. The plan had been to show his prowess in the kitchen, followed by a display of his prowess in a more intimate room to lull her into a love induced state that would make the news more palatable and her more understanding. He was well prepared to plead his case, but there was no chance for that now.

  The news story that would make his career and cause his marriage to crash and burn before take off, had to air today. It was planned for tomorrow, but the national higher-ups had gotten wind of it and wouldn’t — and didn’t want to — sit on it until then. This wasn’t just Chicago politics as normal, this was national news.

  With one minute to air time, and still no answer from his wife, he sent a text. He had a mere one hundred and forty characters to explain. “Amara, you are more than my wife, you are my life. I need you to breathe. My world was incomplete
without you. Please remember that I love you. I forever love you, Mrs. Clark,” he wrote. He prayed that would be enough until he was able to beg and plead.

  ***

  Amara walked into her new home. Boxes in various stages of being unpacked were scattered throughout the space. It was still early afternoon, but she was exhausted after a day of moving most of her belongings into a storage unit then coming to the apartment and finding a proper place for the rest of her stuff among her new husband’s things. Manual labor was hard. Directing those doing the manual labor was harder.

  She kicked her socked feet up on the over-sized ottoman and noticed the remote and the notification light blinking on her phone. She clicked on the television and began to scroll through her phone. There were several missed calls from her husband, Ryan (she so loved the way those two words together), and her boss, a Senator of Illinois. It was her day off, so she opted to call her husband first.

  Before she could dial the number, the “breaking news” graphic flared across the screen followed by her husband’s face. She sat up to pay attention to his story. His voice filled the room with words that prompted her to stand, then left her immobilized. The phone vibrated in her hand. She raised the phone to eye level, unable to take her eyes away from the TV. It was her boss, the Senator. She tapped accept and raised the phone to her ear.

  There was no time for her to greet her boss because his agitated voice on the other end of the line was already barking out questions. “Isn’t that your boyfriend on Channel 7 telling the world something you promised wouldn’t go pass you? How could you do this?”

  “I didn’t do it. I didn’t tell him.”

  “Are you seriously trying to act like you’re not the source ‘close to the campaign’? Did a little pillow talk lead to this breaking news? Is that why you’re off today? You said it would be a slow news day, that nothing would be happening. Was that for maximum impact? You said there would be a lull in the campaign today and you needed a personal day. You just didn’t want to be here to deal with the fallout from screwing me over, face-to-face.”