by Tiana Laveen
Drawing serious, he looked into her eyes and wondered if he should pinch himself for good measure. “I love you, Snow. I love you more than the sun loves its rays, more than the moon loves the shape of its crescent, more than the forest loves the trees. Thank you for the lessons you’ve taught me.”
The pastor proceeded and before long, he pronounced them husband and wife. Alex kissed his bride once, twice, and then lost count. She smiled into his kiss, loved him hard… he could feel her body melding with his.
Their four hundred guests stood from their seats, clapping and cheering as blue and white confetti rained from the rafters. Wrapping his arms around her, he drew her close and deposited another kiss on her perfectly painted lips. He wanted to drain her of her love and give it right back to her, tenfold. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for that woman at that moment, he realized this didn’t make him weak, but it showed strength. For when in love, we are the mightiest and fearless of all…
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Fire and Desire…
…Several months later
Here’s something I’ve discovered about myself since being married to Snow…
I am far more jealous than I realized. Let me explain. Snow has a lot of friends. I mean, this woman knows every damn body it seems. Now, normally, that would be a good thing. I suppose it depends on how you look at it, but some of these people are men, and they’re partial to her, a bit too much for my liking.
My wife is fucking beautiful. I know she’s going to get a lot of attention, I understand that, but she’s mine and I’ve had to remind a few of these fuckers about that cold, hard truth. I feel possessive over the woman and this has caused some commotion in our home. Hell, it is what it is. You don’t mess with a man’s money or his woman. Plain and simple…
Alex stroked the side of Snow’s cheek as the sun peered into their bedroom window. They’d been overdosing on each other, taking full advantage of his couple of days off. It was Saturday, a little after 6:00 A.M.
“You want some toast and eggs, baby?” he asked, kissing her face for the thousandth time or more. She stirred beneath him, sporting a big grin.
“Yeah… and coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.” She stretched, her sweet-smelling body a mere tantalizing lily pad for him to jump on like a frog. His libido revved into high gear when his gaze lowered to her breasts, which were more than apparent under the sheer, black baby doll gown. Teasing along the trim of the hem of the silky material with his fingers, he fell into a daydream, thinking about all that had happened…
He’d moved into her home and but kept ownership of his own, renting it to Kyle who wanted out of his small apartment. Besides, that land meant the world to him, and he wanted something extra to pass down to future generations, should he have any kids. Daddy used to say a man’s land was his castle, not the house itself. That land meant you could build any damn thing you wanted on it, just as you pleased.
“Snow, I want to talk to you about somethin’, baby.”
“Yeah? What’s up?” She yawned, stretched again, and sat against the headboard. He joined her and took her hand in his.
“I know you’ve been on and off the fence about it, and I won’t fret if you’re still undecided, but I want you to understand that I want a child. I’m not askin’ for a whole troop. I always thought I’d have two or three when the time was right, but we can compromise on just one if that’ll help you choose sooner rather than later.”
The woman looked at him blankly, her expression hard to read. Crossing her arms across her chest, she finally nodded.
“I see… so how long have you been thinking about this, Alex?”
“The whole time we’ve been together, actually. But since we’ve been in this house, I just feel like guttin’ out some walls, doing some renovations so that it can be both to our liking… and with a baby’s room. I can’t shake it loose. Snow, I want you to have my baby. I think you’d be an excellent mother.”
“Remember when you joked with me the other day and said I should be barefoot and pregnant so these horny fuckers would stop flirting with me?” The woman grimaced and shook her head, still madder than a hornet about that little statement that had come out of his mouth.
“Awww, baby! You know I was just joking with you!”
“Do I, Alex?” She laughed. “I don’t know about you sometimes. Anyway, look, I shouldn’t even tell you this because once you get an idea in your head, you’re full speed ahead, but I’ve been thinking about it as well. So much so, I visited my ob-gyn a few weeks ago for a checkup and had some blood drawn and tests ran.” His eyes widened in surprise. “Yes, and everything came back fine but there are certain risks that increase with age. Therefore, I am in agreement with us starting to try for a baby soon. I think it would probably be for the best.” She patted his thigh and grinned.
“Well, shit! You’ve made my day!” He clapped his hands together. “Why don’t we start right now?” He tugged at the woman and forced her flat onto the bed, rolling over on top of her.
“Stop it, Alex!” She giggled, hitting him about the shoulders. “I need coffee! You know how cranky I get without my coffee!”
“I got some cream for your coffee right here. And these kisses are pure sugar!”
“Oh God!” She cackled, screaming and hollering until he had her pinned down just so. With a kiss to her neck, he held her waist and worked himself between her legs, his dick hard and ready to go to work. Gripping her chin to make her face him, he sucked on her lower lip as he thrust within her, delighting in the way her eyes rolled back.
Yes indeed, my angel… let’s make us a sweet, precious little baby…
…Several months later
The large apartment building was engulfed in smoke, coming from the east side of the building. It was 10:32 P.M. and most folks were asleep, adding to the danger of the situation. The ungodly intensity of the heat and thick clouds of smoke bellowed out several windows like the breath of distress. Alex surrounded the place with his crew, their hoses working full blast. He tracked his steps, moving a bit closer as the rest of the team waited for the word from him. As he read the fire, noticing the thick coats of soot on a couple of the lower windows, he took action.
“Katie!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Inside with the pipe! East!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Hank!” Alex hollered. “Imma need you to be my flapper. Head over right here,” He pointed to an area with overgrown brush. “There is an outside starting point.” He pointed to the backyard, filled with choppy grass and bushes and in desperate need of cutting and landscaping. This had fueled the fire, turning what had started small into an inferno. “It’s gonna spread fast out here too, so go on!”
“Yes, sir!” the man hollered out, holding his black mat.
The last thing we need is nearby houses going up in flames, too. Damn it! Somebody probably tossed a damn cigarette down there; these windows were open and it spread up these vines that are all over the structure. Now it’s inside the house! No… that can’t be right. This happened too fast… this fire was purposely spread.
He sniffed the air, and even through his protective head gear, something didn’t smell quite right…
That something was chemical in nature.
But what is it? And why are flames that high on the outside and inside, but there are hardly any on the west side of the building? Maybe they used an unknown, home-based accelerant? Been more and more of those showing up. But it seems they’d have less control of that, still.
The shit was mighty bizarre, but not unheard of. The red sirens were blaring with the firetrucks and ambulances all around. Tenants bustled out like cattle, most standing outside of the dwelling crying and holding a few possessions. Hoses were blasting full throttle and a few of his team were inside the residence, checking and looking for any lost people who might have been overlooked.
“Jason is already inside, joined by Katie,” he updated his team. “Jim! Get
the redline for the back of the place! That grass is going to keep lettin’ the fire do its travelin’. We need it out now!”
“I’m on it!”
Suddenly, a woman in a white robe raced up to one of his men who was standing outside. The police pushed her back. Before Alex could find out what the issue was, a loud cracking noise rocked the entire foundation. BOOM! The back portion of the structure collapsed like a stack of cards. Dust flew up like a phoenix as people scattered and screamed.
“Haaaaank!” Alex raced to the man to discover he’d moved just in time.
“It’s gone! It’s all gone!” Hank yelled, his eyes wide.
“It’s unsafe. Everyone out!” Alex yelled as he ran to the front of the building and entered. The main staircase was partially destroyed. Fire leapt from pockets of darkness, making it appear as if the dark, haunting place was filled with fireballs flying and rolling from all directions. Placing his arm over his face, he screamed out once again when he saw Katie standing there in the near distance.
“GET OUT!” he roared.
The woman was barely moving. Grabbing her by the waist, he hoisted her over his shoulder, the weight of her equipment debilitating. Moving back towards the front of the place, he deposited her outside as several more ambulances raced up to the building. One of the paramedics rushed towards him. “Smoke inhalation!” Alex shouted. “Inside for eight minutes, twenty-nine years old, female! Vitals strong.” The paramedic nodded as she approached Katie. He raced back inside, and in that short time, the fire seemed to have become ten times worse.
“HEY! FUCK!” Jason lay on the ground, one of his best guys, unmoving. Bear hugging the poor bastard, he dragged him out of the open door. Two other paramedics rushed towards him, grabbed Jason, and put him on a gurney.
“Smoke inhalation! Weak pulse! Inside for approximately twelve minutes, thirty-four years old, male!”
“My baby is in there!” Someone called out. Without looking he turned back towards the building.
“Valentine!” someone called out. “You can’t go back in. It’s caving!”
He ignored the warning and stooped low, practically crawling on his belly across the broken glass and debris. Gasoline and kerosene… Dodging fire that looked like melting lava, he kept on going then hoisted himself up onto the partial staircase. His body was soaked with sweat, his adrenaline bursting as he swung hard with his legs and landed on a partially collapsed second floor.
“I hear someone!” Saying a silent prayer, he burst through the closed door and spotted a crying kid—couldn’t have been more than four years old. He raced towards the wailing toddler, wrapped in towels. Placing the baby against his chest, he kept the girl’s head down as he said another prayer, knowing what was to come. With a hard leap, he jumped from the second floor down to the first, the ground swelling beneath his body and gear.
“Shit!” He heard the snap of his leg but didn’t feel it yet. The excruciating pain would come in a matter of seconds. Making his move, he crawled sideways towards the front door, the little girl in tow. He cradled the back of her head, keeping her nose and mouth away from the smolder. A mother and paramedic raced up to him and snatched the baby.
“Thank you!” the mother yelled to him, the same woman police had pushed back earlier. She clutched her child and kissed the top of her head. Tears and dirt covering her face, he witnessed pure panic dancing in that woman’s eyes, the kind that can only be produced by a mother fearing for her child’s life.
He went in and out of consciousness as the damn building crackled loud, the thing burning to the ground behind him. The loud noises became softer and softer, as if they were happening several blocks away. And then, he heard nothing. Before long, he saw nothing, too but an abyss of blackness…
When he came to, he was in the hospital, with a cast on his foot that extended upwards to his knee and his wife at his side.
“He’s waking up!” Snow announced, his hand clasped in hers. Doctors and nurses raced into the room, checking the machines.
“Alex, baby, it’s me!” He tried to respond to his wife, but his throat felt clogged, closed shut.
“Chief Valentine,” one of doctors stated. “Can you hear me okay?”
“Yes…” He forced his mouth to work, to give what was needed. It was a bit sore and raw, the tissue inflamed as if heat filled his esophagus. Just speaking that one word made the raw itchiness all the worse.
I need some water…
“You had some smoke inhalation, as well as a minor burn on your hand.” He looked down at his right hand and noticed two fingers were bandaged. “And you fractured your tibia, which is the shinbone in your leg.” He motioned for the glass of water that sat nearby. Snow quickly retrieved it and fed it to him in tiny sips until he downed the whole thing.
That’s better… so much better.
“So… what now? My leg… what’s next?” he managed, working through the pain.
“Lucky for you I think it’ll heal just fine,” the doctor replied, holding an iPad that appeared to have a series of X-Rays on the screen. “But you will need to stay off it for at least several weeks, maybe longer.” Alex nodded in understanding. “I’m going to give you several prescriptions, one for pain management and another for calcium to help build that bone back up, just to name a couple. You’re getting crutches, too. Keep your weight off it. You’re a big boy…” The doctor laughed. “So that’s really important.”
“All right…” Snow squeezed his hand once again, and it was then as he looked up at her that he noticed how red and swollen her eyes were. His damn heart broke.
“Baby, you’ve been cryin’? Stop all of that, sweetheart. I’m all right,” he reassured her.
She bent low and kissed him.
“I was so worried. You’ve been nonresponsive for a while, Alex.” He ran his hand against the back of her head as she pressed her face to his chest.
“Uh, where is my crew? How is everyone?”
“Everybody is recovering, Chief Valentine,” one of the medical staff responded. “There were no casualties, thanks to you.”
Alex sighed with relief.
“I know that by now an investigative team is already on the scene but please let ’em know that the fire began outside and inside. It was set on purpose. What I initially thought may have been a cigarette left in the brush was actually started by a combustible fluid, like gasoline. They mixed it with kerosene and God knows what else. They placed it outside in the grass and then in the backyard, as well as inside the complex. It was arson.” He coughed hard, taking a moment to catch his breath. “I will take care of my report once I get out of here, which should be soon, I imagine. I have work to do.”
“You will do no such thing. You’re coming home and resting and there will be no working,” his wife chastised. “There are others who are trained to take over in your absence. I can’t believe you would even think that was an option, Alex.”
“Snow, I have to! You don’t see that—”
“Stop it, Alex.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “This is not a debate. You’re coming home and getting your behind in the bed. You’re staying off this leg and you will have to be a patient. Accept it and move on.”
“This ain’t a debate? Accept it and move on? Like hell I will! Do you realize—”
“That’s enough, Alex.” He got ready to argue with whoever spoke until Mama pushed her way through the crowd and grimaced, shaking her head with disapproval. “I just got here, came as soon as I got word about what happened. I was worried sick! Imagine my surprise to find out that my son is going to be fine, but instead of him listening to doctor’s orders, he wants to argue and fight. Now you listen to me,” she said, her finger in his face. “You pipe down and do what your wife and the doctor say. We heard what you said about the fire; that’s good and it’ll get taken care of. But you have to take care of yourself, too. That was courageous what you’ve gone and done, but the dog and pony show is over. Do you hear me?”
On a sigh, he rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mama.” The older woman chuckled as she leaned down and kissed his cheek. He couldn’t help but smile.
“Oh, and by the way, you better quit arguing with me all the time, even to your own detriment, Alex,” Snow added, a businesslike look on her face as she placed her terrorizing terms at his feet.
“You’re taking advantage of the situation because I can’t get a hold of you!” He chuckled as he raised his arms up. Moving like Frankenstein was the best he could muster. “Got my own mother turned against me. I was her favorite child, too. Still am!”
“My favorite pain in the rear is more like it!” Mama said before heading back out towards the hall. Everyone in the room burst out laughing.
“Just wait till I’m all better, Snow. Me and you are going to wrestle.” He winked in her direction, which drew a grin from her.
“Threats of bodily harm, huh? Is that any way to talk to the mother of your child?”
CHAPTER TWENTY
With Your Daddy and Mama Standing By…
…One year later
“Joshua is comin’ by with the wood for the deck, Snow!” Alex hollered out as he set his weights down with a groan. It was a gorgeous spring day, the kind where the brisk breeze kicked up and spread the scent of sweet flowers all around. Fat bumblebees buzzed about in the garden out back as he sat there on that bench, gazing out the screened-in patio door. “Did you hear me, honey? We’ll be finished with the deck by the end of the week!”
“Alex! Why are you so loud?!” Snow hurried towards him, her bare feet moving fast while she cradled their four-month-old son against her breasts. She looked fit to be tied. “He was napping. That’s all over thanks to you.”
“I’m sorry!” He tossed up his hands and smiled. “I ain’t know he was asleep. Lemme hold him. I’ll be busy in a bit; Joshua is comin’ by. We’re going to get back to work on this deck.”