“I wish we’d known this, son. We’ve carried a lot of guilt around, thinking that your fairy tale wasn’t exactly how you thought.”
I sighed. “I am totally guilty after Vee’s death of having painted my marriage as if it was faultless, when it was far from it. But I loved my wife desperately.”
Belle walked in pushing a hostess trolley with coffee, iced-tea and a whole host of baked goods. “I like to cook, keeps me feeling productive.” She explained.
I took a wonderfully smelling muffin from a plate. “Thank you, Belle. These smell delicious.”
Ralph patted his toned stomach. “It’s a good job we have the pool and the home gym or I wouldn’t be rocking this body at my age with Belle at home.” He laughed.
“Yeah, well you’ve had quite the effect on my body!” Belle laughed, rubbing at her stomach. “Right I’m going to go water the plants while you men talk.”
Despite my protests that it wasn’t necessary she left us to it.
“You look really happy.” I told Ralph.
“I am, son. Life’s given me a do-over. Just like its offering you one.”
“I shouldn’t be here, should I? I should be at home.”
“There’s only you know the answer to that question.”
“Do you really think Connie will be pleased for us? She won’t feel I’ve betrayed Vee’s memory in some way?”
“I should expect she’ll be delighted you’ve found happiness again, son. Not only that but she worried about Amelia. I think her being with you might alleviate some of those worries. There’s not only you struggled since Vee died.”
“I think before I go home, I’ll call to see Connie. Do you have her cell number?”
So from Ralph’s I drove onto Connie’s house. I’d not been there since after the funeral. I pulled up in front of the front door and took a deep breath and stepped out the car.
Connie’s appearance shocked me. She looked twenty years older than when I’d last seen her, and I saw the years had not been kind with the loss of her daughter and worrying about Amelia. I felt guilty that I’d abandoned her, someone who I could have grieved with, someone who understood.
“I’m sorry I left and never came back.” I told her. “So, damn sorry. Then I took Vee and Amelia’s mom into my arms and the years fell away as we comforted each other.
Once again I found myself in a living room being given a coffee.
“So you carried on with the property business. Still really successful?” She asked me.
“Yes, very.”
“And the club?”
“Everyone seems to know about my secret club.” I laughed.
“These things aren’t so secret anymore, life’s moving on and well, I’m feeling behind the times. Amelia makes me feel old with the things she talks about. All these reality shows where people have sex in front of the cameras. I’m old school, like to keep that kinda thing quiet.”
I kept silent as I didn’t know how to respond.
“Just tell me something, Henry. Are you happy working all those hours? Strikes me that you were all ready to give it up for the baby, then you became a workaholic, just like Vee.”
I took a deep breath. “I thought I was continuing living, keeping busy. I realize now that what I’d actually done was immersed myself so deeply in work that I could pretend I was living, when really I was existing.”
“And my Amelia, she’s shown you that you’re existing?”
My eyes met Connie’s. “Yes.” She has.
The reality hits me. As much as I’ve loved the buzz from business deals, I could walk away from it all tomorrow. All that was important to me now was Amelia and the baby. I’d move to the ends of the earth for them.
“Shit happens, Henry. And it’s not true that lightning don’t strike twice, but you can’t live that way. It’s not living. I know I was protective of Amelia, too much so, but when she said she was moving, she went with my blessing. She has her life to live and you have yours. You need to make a decision as to your future, Henry, and make it quick.”
“I already made a decision,” I told her. “That’s one of the reasons I came here after seeing Ralph.”
We spoke of what I hoped for the future and I saw tears spring to Connie’s eyes. “Oh, Henry. I hope you’ll both be very happy together and you’ll have a beautiful, healthy child. I can’t wait to be a grandma.”
All I needed now was to drive back home, find Amelia, and beg her forgiveness.
“Oh, you don’t need to drive home for that.” Connie said. “Amelia’s upstairs in her bedroom.”
My mouth dropped open, “She’s what?”
“Where do you think a girl’s gonna go when she’s pregnant and upset? She drove straight home to her mom.”
Chapter 13
Amelia
I should never have shouted those words in anger. They were Vee’s secret, written in her diary and I had abused her trust, her memory and destroyed Henry. The look on his face, the anger, misery and disappointment, they would stay with me for a long time. I didn’t want to face him when he returned. I felt he needed space away from me, and to be honest I needed space away from his suffocation. There was only one place to go. Home to my mom and dad.
The minute I’d walked through the door of my family home, I’d fallen into my mom’s arms, broken down in tears, and told her everything. She’d done what my mom always did. Said everything would turn out as it was fated, and whether I ended up a single mom or we worked things out, she would look forward to being a grandma.
Then she told me something I never knew before. That when she’d met my dad, she’d known him years ago. She’d dated and been engaged to his best friend. It was way back before she’d married Ralph, but after they’d divorced her path had crossed with my father’s again. “I could have said, oh it’s not right, us dating after I dated your best friend, but life’s short. Love is love.”
I wiped another tear from my eye.
“Do you love Henry, sweetheart?”
“I do, mom. I really do, and he loves me.”
“Then that’s all that matters. Now go have a lie down and then we’ll see what needs to happen next.”
And that’s what I’d done. I’d come up to my old bedroom and crawled under the duvet where I’d fallen asleep. I’d woken up and stared around my bedroom wondering what on earth I would do next.
A soft knocking came on the door.
“Come in.” I’d guessed it was my mom checking up on me. I didn’t expect the door to open and Henry to walk through it.
He almost ran to my side.
“Henry, I-”
“No, me first. Please?”
I nodded.
“I’ve been a dick. A complete dick. I am so sorry. Once again I’m wasting precious life worrying about things that may never happen. I’m sorry, Amelia. Please come home. Let’s work through things.”
“I’m sorry too.” I told him. “I should have been more understanding about your anxieties. I just felt a bit overwhelmed, you know? I’ve never been pregnant before, it’s all new. I’m kinda a little scared about it all, anyway, and you just.” I pulled a face. “Well, you were making it worse, suffocating me.”
“I know. I realize that now. I can’t pretend I’m suddenly going to become all laid back and chilled, because that’s not me, but I will back off, or you can feel free to shout at me again.”
“Henry, what I said about Vee. I’m so sorry.”
“I already spoke to Ralph about this. I knew Vee wasn’t happy.” He continued to tell me the story of how the baby had kicked the morning Vee had died.
“There was no excuse for my behavior, regardless.” I told him.
“Can we please draw a line under the whole thing and please go home?” He asked me.
“Yes,” I nodded. “Could we stay to eat with my parents tonight first and then travel back?”
“Let’s ask and if it’s okay with them, we’ll travel home in the morning and I’m goi
ng to spend the night seducing you in your teenage bed under your parents roof.”
And he did.
We were under the covers and I was trying so very hard not to moan in ecstasy as Henry tongued my clit.
“You taste divine. I think pregnancy has made your juices sweeter.” He told me, staring up at me from between my thighs.
I stared at him through my lust-fueled haze. “Don’t stop.”
He kept on fluttering his tongue against my clit while he inserted two fingers inside me. I bucked against him.
“Oh, God,” I moaned softly.
He moved back up the bed before I could come and spooning in behind me he grabbed my hips and slid inside my heat, pulling me back against him and thrusting softly. The feeling was wonderful. We fit so well together.
His hand came around my front, carefully caressing my pregnancy sensitive nipples and breasts, and then fingers trailed down my front until he began strumming my clit alongside his thrusts from that oh so enormous cock I’d come to love. His movements came faster and my bed springs started to creak a little.
“Oh my God, how embarrassing.” I told him.
He went back to slower thrusts, so the noise stopped. It was an agonizing pace and when my orgasm hit, I felt like I’d been rocked by an earthquake. I took Henry over with me, feeling his hot spurts of cum deep inside me.
We rested together until our breathing regularized and then fell asleep in each other’s arms.
The next day before we left we decided to visit Vee’s grave. We stood in front and both bowed our heads deep in thought. Then Henry spoke.
“Veronica, I loved you with all my heart. If you’re looking down on us, you’ll see I hadn’t been living my life since you left me. I’d like to think it was you, and your strategic business mind, that sent Amelia to me, so I could start living again. I’ll never forget you, but now, I’m choosing to live.”
Tears ran from my eyes. I’ll I could manage to say was, “Vee, I loved you so much. I miss you and I hope you are looking down, happy for us both.”
Then Henry took my hand, we returned to the car, and he drove us home.
True to his word, Henry was much better from then on out. I agreed to regular health checks, more than I would usually receive, to keep him calmer, but as the pregnancy went along and especially after I got way past the date that Vee had, he slowly began to relax more.
I was six months pregnant when he (well, Mary), made us a picnic and said he was taking me to Central Park. The weather was mild, but not really picnic weather so we put on warm coats. He’d brought bacon sandwiches and hot coffee, and we sat on a bench in the park and enjoyed the food and drink.
“I’m selling the club.” He told me. “To Aidan.”
“You are? You don’t have to on my account, you know? It’s a good business.”
“I don’t want to be a dad and own a sex club. It doesn’t feel right.”
“Okay.” I told him.
“Also, I was thinking of selling my property business to Eli King.” Eli was another billionaire developer whose business was on the rise.
“So I’d work for Eli?” I said, tongue in cheek.
“Do you want to work for Eli?” He asked me. “Because you can. You can do whatever you want to do.”
“I want to live with you and have many, many babies.” I told him.
“Well, Eli discussed keeping me on in a consulting capacity. It means I can work the hours I want to work and can work from wherever we choose to live. Is there anywhere you’d want to go?”
I shook my head. “I like it here in Manhattan, but could we have a holiday home at the Hampton’s? A small one? Maybe four-bedrooms, for us to grow into?”
Henry kissed my head. “Anything you want. You realize once you become Mrs. Carter you’ll have my billions at your disposal, don’t you?”
“Now who said anything about me becoming Mrs. Carter?” I narrowed my eyes at him.
Then he dropped to his knees. There in the park. Holding out a box containing the most beautiful ring.
“Amelia Ann Wilson. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Can we have the biggest, most elaborate wedding ever, after I’ve given birth and had chance to slim down?”
“Anything.”
“Like even have Justin Bieber sing at the reception?”
He laughed. “If he’s available.”
“Then, yes.” I smiled.
“So it was Bieber that clinched it?” He winked.
“Yes, otherwise I’d have said thanks but no thanks,” I joked.
He placed the band of diamonds on my finger. “I went for something non-traditional. I thought you wouldn’t want anything that might dig into the baby’s skin.”
I looked at my beautiful ring. “It’s perfect and thank you for thinking of that.”
Then I fell to my own knees in the park and kissed my new fiance while the people in New York walked and ran passed us getting on with their day.
When we went home, Mary was in the kitchen preparing dinner. I flashed my diamond wearing finger at her.
“Oh my God,” she squealed. “I’m so excited.”
“We need to talk, Mary, about your post.” Henry said, walking in behind me.
“Ah, I thought this day would be coming,” Mary said. “I know things will be changing now with the baby and everything.”
“That’s correct.” Henry said, holding his serious business face in place and I could have killed him.
“Stop tormenting her.” I scolded him. “Mary, we’re staying here, but we’re buying a home in the Hampton’s too. Are you willing to travel, and also could we extend your duties to helping out with the baby, maybe babysitting sometimes so me and my future husband can go on date nights?”
“Oh I’d be delighted. Thank you.” She said, beaming widely.
Our baby chose that moment to make its first kick. A tiny little flutter in my stomach. I held my hand to my belly.
“Looks like baby is delighted too.” I told her.
Chapter 14
Amelia
Lewis Henry Carter was born on the 23 March. He was a delight, and we were so very much in love with our baby boy. We waited a whole eighteen months, until he was toddling around, before tying the knot.
Our wedding was indeed a huge, elaborate affair, though by that time I’d gone off the Bieber idea and instead we had a band. The ceremony over and the reception underway, we made our way onto the dance floor for our first dance to John Legend’s One Woman Man. He took me in his arms and held me tight.
“Thank you for bringing me back to life.” He told me, capturing my mouth in his.
“Thank you for loving me and helping create our beautiful son.” I replied.
As we danced, I noticed a white feather beside our feet on the dance floor. As the song ended, I picked it up and kissed it. I fully believed in white feathers being a sign from above and knew in that moment that my sister was giving us her blessing.
“Thank you, Vee, I love you.” I whispered. Then I let go of the feather and watched it float back down to the dance floor as the other guests joined us to continue the celebrations.
THE END
Author note: H and Tiffany’s story takes place in SOLD: Double Delights Book One.
Alex
Chapter 1
Alex
I stepped out of my house that morning, breathing in the crisp air that blew across the rolling hills of this part of Kentucky and closed my eyes, savoring the moment for just a second more. There was plenty to do around the ranch today, but I wanted to take a minute more to revel in the stillness of this most remote part of the ranch.
My father knew what he was doing when he gave me land in this area of the ranch. It was no secret that I was the most hermit like of all the Killarny brothers. I just had my own way of doing things and my preference for how I lived out here. Even though I was close to each of my brothers in one way or another, I was the one who tended to pre
fer retiring to my own house for the evening or any time that I wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle that followed them all around. It seemed like wherever you found more than one of us gathered together it either turned into a friendly argument or a wrestling match.
It was simply that we liked to poke fun at one another. My mother had been very patient with us all, but I knew that while she was alive, we had caused her an awful lot of grief. She had tried tirelessly to keep us all out of trouble and aside from a few drunken nights spent in county lockup we had stayed out of any kind of major drama for the length of our adult lives. We had all been a worry to her, and I thought about that on occasion, how she wanted us all to be happy and how many times I had heard her pray for that.
Now my mother was gone, and things on the ranch hadn't been the same since her death. We were all moving on in our own ways, and things had changed even further when my father had decided to pick up his things and move to Puerto Rico. It hadn't been too much of a shock to me. I knew my father was struggling to get past my mother's death, and the best way for him to do it would be to get as far away from the thing that most reminded him of her -- the ranch that the two of them had made their own after the death of my grandfather.
Killarny Estate spread out across the vast expanse of green hills in this part of the state. Perfect for raising horses, my family had carved out their place in the industry over a hundred years ago and continued to raise some of the fastest and most sought after thoroughbreds in the country and all over the world. You never knew who might call the office to inquire about a Killarny horse. We had seen some princes and sheiks visiting our estate in the years when we had our most distinguished horses breeding new foals every year.
The Billionaire and the Virgin: H's story (The Billionaires Book 1) Page 9