A Woman Like You: Book Two (The Woman I Love Series 2)

by G S Binkley

  “It’s perfect.” Gage repeated.

  “I’ve always wanted something simple yet….Sweetheart, you did say anywhere, anyway.” Lacy pinned her lover against the vow Gage made to her.

  “Lacy, I said it would be perfect.” Gage kissed her. “As long as you’re there anywhere is fine with me. But, I’m not wearing a dress.” Lacy cocked a perfectly sculptured eyebrow. “Uh, uh, uh…” The blonde cautioned her lover on this point of contention. “Now, relax, will you? You’ve tensed up.”

  Long moments passed with both lovers relishing the connection between them as the blonde stroked her caring hands over the unborn baby’s temporary home. “Seven months. Wow.” Gage stared in wonder as she continued rubbing the cocoa butter on Lacy’s smooth stomach.

  “You look so fascinated by it.” Referring to her swollen belly.

  “It’s what’s in there, Lacy. It’s hard to believe….that a baby is growing inside. I don’t know it so…so sexy.” Gage continued her loving exploration across Lacy’s skin dragging her fingers ever so lightly against it as the dark haired woman basked in her lover’s touch.

  “You’re driving me insane here woman.” A small laugh expelled. “Surely, sweetheart, you’ve seen other pregnant women?”

  “Hmmm…. but not one that belonged to me and definitely not this close-up.” Gage winked at her lover. “I love him already.”

  “Sure it’s going to be a boy, huh?” Gage nodded her head remembering her partner’s insistence at not knowing the sex of the baby claiming she wanted to be surprised. “As long as he’s healthy.”

  “Oh, he will be. You are and… his father’s… as much as I hate to admit it, he’s a….” Rolling her slightly envious green eyes. “Pretty healthy specimen.” Then when Gage leaned down brushing her lips against Lacy’s belly, kissing it, off in the distance, she heard several very faint clicking sounds. Popping her head back up searching the open grounds, she asked. “Did you hear that?”

  Amazed by her partner’s tender display of love for her unborn baby, Lacy pulled Gage down. “Come here you.”

  Lost in the powerful feelings erupting from the passionate kiss she exchanged with her lover, Gage never noticed someone escape in the distance wearing a very satisfied smile.

  Chapter Twenty - March

  “Happy birthday, Lacy.” Gage kissed the birthday girl.

  “Mom, did you like my present?” Dani asked.

  “Yes, it was wonderful.” Her daughter presented Lacy with a very special dance performance Dani worked up on her own. Tapping her daughter on the nose, she forecast the future. “You’re an excellent choreographer, too.”

  “Momma, what about me?” Derek scaled his mother planting himself squarely on her lap. “You like mine?” He blew the whistle he’d inherited from his sister and now presented to his mother.

  “Honey, I love it.”

  “Derek, what about this?” Gage handed him a large piece of paper.

  “Give me.” Derek offered the drawing to Lacy.

  A beaming smile rose on the mother’s face. “It’s beautiful.”

  “You, too, momma.” Derek pointed to the facsimile of his mother on the drawing he’d spent over an hour working on with the help of his hero. “There’s me….and Dani.” Then he pointed purposely to the last figure on the paper. “Gage.” Smiling triumphantly, Derek shook his head proud of himself.

  Kissing her son, Lacy spared the drawing another glance. “We’ll have to hang this someplace special.”

  “Mom, we should get a frame for it.” Dani scooted between the two adults. “Maybe next week when my school’s on break. I’ve been thinking about what we should do.” When the telephone rang, Gage answered it as Dani continued with her thought. “Swimming is definitely on my list….” Dani eyed her mother’s huge belly. “Maybe not for you. That won’t stop Derek and I though.”

  “Being eight months pregnant does not stop a woman from going swimming.”

  “I’m going to swim, too, momma.” Derek definitely would not be left out of any family activities. “Right now?”

  “No, honey. Later.” Lacy carefully watched Gage’s demeanor change as she talked on the telephone. “Dani, why don’t you and Derek change… swimming might be a good idea about now.” Both children bolted at the suggestion. “In the Jacuzzi though.” Lacy yelled after them. When her partner flopped down beside her, Lacy asked. “Gage, sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

  “That was Mark.”

  “Problems?”

  Rubbing her temple, Gage nodded. “Sorta… Mark’s dead brother-in-law…well, apparently he’s alive. Mark needs to return to New York and find out what’s going on.”

  “Oh. Is there anything we can do?” Lacy asked.

  Reluctantly. “I really should go there… to New Orleans.”

  “I see.” Lacy confirmed. “When are you leaving?”

  “Lacy, I don’t know how long this will take. Maybe you and the kids can

  fly down next week….” Touching her partner’s stomach. “If you feel up to it.”

  “I thought there might be problems with the director, Hugh.” Lacy held a sinking feeling in check.

  “Yeah, he’s been giving Mark some grief on top of it.” Leaning her head against Lacy’s temple. “I don’t want to go without you.”

  Ducking in for a quick kiss, Lacy steeled her resolve. “You have, too. It won’t be for long….the kids and I will come down next week. And, how bout I call Ryan. He can go with you…. just in case.” Her good friend, Ryan White, the seasoned producer and director could provide her novice partner any required assistance Gage may encounter. And, keep an eye on things. Her jealous mind wandered to a certain redhead working on Mark Calico’s movie.

  “Thank you.” Gage kissed her partner soundly. “I’ll go get packed.”

  ************************

  Alone in bed and after several restless nights without her lover’s soothing presence, Lacy tossed again trying to find a comfortable position. When the shrill ring of the telephone permeated the air early Saturday morning, Lacy sighed in relief. “Maybe it’s Gage. Hello.” The sound of the irate voice on the other end of the telephone caused a heavy sigh to expel from the extremely fatigued woman. “Ron.”

  “Lacy, I’m having them delivered to your doorstep. I want you to see exactly what could destroy my picture and if it does….. there will be a lawsuit. I don’t want to have to shelf this movie.”

  “Ron, calm down a minute. What could be that bad?” Lacy rolled her distressed blue eyes.

  “You’ll see.” With that, Ron hung up the telephone and the doorbell rang.

  The messenger shoved an armful of tabloid papers in Lacy’s face. Plastered on the cover was a picture of Gage kissing the star’s bare stomach. Inside a full photo layout of Gage and Lacy sharing an intimate moment on their patio. That’s what Gage heard that day. My God. Someone was here lurking around after the photo shoot taking pictures. There was also a picture of her and Mark sharing a hug at the party they attended together. One of the captions alluded to a threesome between Lacy, Gage and Mark since it also stated that they were all staying at the CEO’s oceanfront estate.

  As the telephone rang off the hook from inquiring reporters, Lacy packed their bags. She’d tried to call Gage several times to no avail. Finally, reaching her mother, Lacy arranged for a limo to pick her and the kids up to catch a plane home. The star instructed Mark’s housekeeper as to where she could be reached when Gage called. As the limo passed through Mark Calico’s estate gates, a horde of reporters flashed their cameras shouting questions upon questions at the departing star.

  *************************

  Gage called that night only to find out that Lacy had suddenly returned home. Punching in the numbers to the Lewis household, the blonde waited patiently. I wonder why she went back home. “Hello…Nate?”

  “No, it’s Denny. Who’s this?” Denny asked even though he knew perfectly well it was Gage.

  “It’s Gage.
Is Lacy there?”

  Denny plugged in the last electrical cord to his parent’s computer. “No, she’s out.”

  “How bout Lynn or Dani?”

  “No one’s here. Listen, I’ve got to see if this computer will hook up to the internet so…..”

  “Hold on… hold on a minute. Do you know where she is?”

  “My parents took the kids out and my sister’s…. out with Jason.” Well, it isn’t really a lie. My sister is out with Jason…. Lisa that is.

  “Denny, would you please tell Lacy I called.” Gage pleaded with the irascible man.

  Denny grunted. “Bye.” Hanging up, Denny never gave her request another thought.

  Heavy shoulders dropped in frustration as Gage hung up the telephone. She turned when Ryan spoke.

  “Problems?”

  “Too many of them.” Gage plopped down in the nearby chair exhausted from four days of non-stop problem solving. After Gage and Ryan arrived in New Orleans, they quickly took stock of the situation and realigned the chaotic production schedule. In the one day after Mark had departed for New York, the egotistic director rearranged the schedule causing havoc with the cast and crew. Having fired Hugh Hayes, Ryan took over as director much to Gage’s relief. “Lacy went back home. I don’t know why.”

  Ryan squeezed her shoulder. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Come on, let’s get some rest.”

  “What about reviewing what Hayes already shot?” The reluctant producer asked.

  “It’s late. Tomorrow’s another day.” Pushing Gage forward, they walked off into the dark night.

  ***********************

  Frustrated, Lacy slammed the telephone down once again unbeknownst to her that a certain interested party intercepted her repeated attempts to contact Gage. “I can’t get in touch with her.”

  After the younger woman sat, Lynn soothed her daughter’s hand. “She’ll call.”

  “This is such a mess.” Lacy dumped her head in her hands leaning on the kitchen table. “And I don’t feel well at all.”

  “You’re tired. We shouldn’t have gone shopping yesterday. I only wanted you to get your mind off things…. and with going to church this morning…”

  Offering her mother a genuine but weak smile, Lacy said. “It helped mother. It really did.”

  “She loves you, Lacy.”

  “I know that….. it’s everything else.”

  “Do you really think Mr. Griffen will file that lawsuit you told me about?”

  “There’s nothing in the contract regarding my personal life in conjunction with how well a movie does. Thank God for my agent. He’s always watching out for me.”

  When the telephone rang, Lynn rushed to answer it. “Hello. Oh, hi. Yes, hold on.” Handing the telephone to her distraught daughter. “It’s David.”

  “Hello David.”

  “Lacy, honey, is there anything I can do?” David asked sincerely. “I talked with Ron and he’s just blowing hot air. You know how he is.”

  “He can go to hel…..” Looking at her mother, Lacy amended her statement. “Wherever as far as I’m concerned.” Suspicious of her ex-husband’s motives, she asked. “David, why did you call?”

  “Heard Gage is in New Orleans…… you do know Griff’s there, too?” David weaseled in the actual purpose behind his call.

  “Thank you, David. That’s the one thing I needed to be reminded of.” Ending the conversation, Lacy’s eyes welled up in tears. “He’s such a bastard.”

  Lacy then explained to her mother the real reason behind her tears.

  “Lacy, I’m only going to say this once….go get your woman.” Her mother ordered.

  ***********************

  Gage and Ryan spent the better part of Sunday reviewing film and fine-tuning the remaining schedule. With weary eyes, Ryan suggested. “Why don’t we go back to the hotel room? I’ve got some calls to make about these schedule changes before tomorrow.”

  Grabbing the last donut out of the box, Gage replied. “No. I want to look at that one scene again. I don’t like how it plays. Maybe I could make some script changes…. it just doesn’t fit anymore. It’s supposed to be a murder…. the way it is now it’s more like self-defense.”

  Shaking his head, Ryan smiled. “Trust me. Everything will work out. It’s really all in the editing.”

  “You go ahead. I think I’ll try to call Lacy again.” Gage watched the director who was proving to be an invaluable friend leave. “Well, let’s roll this again one more time.” Gage hit the play button. As she scrutinized the scene carefully, the novice producer didn’t hear someone enter behind her taking up residence in the dark room.

  “Gage.” A soft voice whispered.

  Jerking the writer from her task, Gage spun around squinting her seeking green eyes trying to see who called her name. “Lacy?”

  “Close.” The dark figure stepped out of the darkness into the light revealing a shock of red hair.

  Tired shoulders slumped. “Griff. What are you doing here? It’s late.”

  “I could ask you the same thing.” The younger woman stalked her prey, circling halfway around the blonde.

  Gathering a few items, Gage stood. “I was just leaving.”

  “Wait.” Griff pressed her hand to blonde’s chest causing both of Gage’s eyebrows to shot up. “Oh, don’t worry. I came here to apologize. Back in LA. You know, in Lacy’s trailer. When she came in I… panicked.”

  “Mmmmm Hmmmm. Right.” Gage backed further away. “Why don’t we forget about it?”

  Stepping closer, Griff purred. “That’s just it. I can’t. You see, I’m….”

  “In love with me?” Gage filled in the blank.

  Griff scrunched her face, sucking in a short breath. “More like in lust with you. You are one fine woman, Gage. And she doesn’t appreciate it like I would. Believe me, I could make you squirm….” Sumptuous green eyes flared. “Deliciously under my touch.”

  Gage would swear later that cat-like fangs sprang from her claws. “No, thank you. I get all of that from someone else and much, much more.”

  When the overheated woman lunged for Gage, she didn’t hear someone enter the dark room taking up residence directly behind her. It was the iron clamped grip on her shoulder that made Griff take notice. “Hey.”

  Spinning the surprised woman around, Lacy growled. “Leave my woman alone.”

  Griff wiggled away from the strong woman’s grasp. “What are you going to do about? The way I see it. She’s up for grabs…. and to the victor goes the spoils.” Glancing at Lacy’s body. “You not exactly in your prime or the best shape for that matter.”

  Gage would have intervened but she knew one thing the poor young woman standing in front of her didn’t but was about to learn. Never and I mean never mess with Lacy when it comes to protecting her family.

  With predatory grace, Lacy circled her prey allowing her ferocious blue eyes to scathe the shorter redhead’s slender body. “Oh, you may have something to offer. You might even be good at it. But, you will never take what’s mine. There’s no competition here. Not even close.” Suddenly feeling a little sorry for the younger woman, Lacy said. “You could never even comprehend the kind of love we have.” Lacy stalked forward backing Griff toward the door.

  Losing ground quickly, Griff threatened. “I’ll tell my father.”

  “You do that little thing and then a little bird may reveal that his daughter’s gay. He wouldn’t like that now, would he?”

  “You’d do that, too.” Griff spat unaware that Lacy had once prevented Mark from telling this very thing to her father.

  “And, one more thing. Your father is in an uproar about some pictures of Gage of me. I suggest you quiet him down about it, Griff…. for your own good.” Lacy’s suggestion brooked no argument from the retreating woman.

  After the frightened girl left, Gage walked up behind her lover wrapping arms around Lacy. Kissing her shoulder, the rescued woman declared. “I love you.”

  “You better
.” Swinging around, now facing her lover, Lacy suggested. “You’ve got a room, don’t you?” Gage nodded. “Then let’s put it to good use.” Lacy kissed her woman for all it was worth relaying her message about what the two of them would be doing all night. At least as much as an eight month pregnant woman could muster and Lacy was willing to give it her best shot.

  I guess Ryan will just have to do without me tomorrow. Walking out the door, Gage asked. “What pictures?”

  ************************

  “Mrs. Grant, when will Mr. Calico be back in town?” Stella Smith asked her employer.

  Shuffling through some papers, Julie Grant replied off-handedly to her children’s nanny. “I don’t know he had some personal business to attend to in New York.”

  Shaking her head, Stella walked back out the door then closed it. She looked once again at the tabloid. I wonder what that means ‘special friend’.

  Chapter Twenty-One - April

  “Wait…wait….now push.” The doctor ordered.

  Scrunching up in the bed, Lacy pushed hard along with the contraction. “Uhhhhhhhhhh……” Lacy grunted before easing back into her partner’s arms. Perspiration soaked the expectant mothers face and hair.

  Gage brushed warm lips against the side of her partner’s temple. “I love you.” Then blotted a dry cloth to absorb the moisture on Lacy’s face.

  “Mmmmm Hmmmm.” Lacy’s only response.

  Anxiously, David shifted around to see the birth of his third child. “Lacy, I can see it….” Cocking his head to one side then asked the doctor. “That’s the head, isn’t it?”

  Ignoring the excited father, the doctor assured her patient. “One more, Lacy, and that should do it.”

  Whispering against her lover’s temple, Gage quietly said. “You hear that? One more. You can do it.” Although I don’t know if I could.

  With one final push and Gage supporting her from behind, Lacy delivered into the world her second son. Exhausted yet beaming with pride, Lacy fell back into her partner’s arms.