The guests were all chuckles and smiles as he said, “I haven’t finished the question.” Then he attempted the question again, “Do you, Samantha Prudence Roth take Abbey Victoria Jacobs as…”
“I do!” Sam blurted and signed again. This time the guests laughed with true amusement.
The preacher sighed then shot her a look of reprimand. She was almost bubbling with energy as she shifted from foot to foot, giving him a look of apology. He grinned then started again but held up a finger, just in time to silence her again. “Do you, Samantha Prudence Roth take Abbey Victoria Jacobs as your lawfully wedded wife?”
She comically squinted an eye at him and scrunched up her nose, seeking permission, and he nodded then she blurted out and signed, “I do!” Then Abbey slipped the ring on her finger. Before anyone could blink, the girls were in a passionate lip lock that had me looking at Mia’s lips. Oh my…
The preacher cleared his throat and the girls broke their kiss with a look of embarrassment and apology. The man just winked at them and said, “I now pronounce you wife and wife. You may NOW, kiss the bride.” They did, holy public display of affection Batman! Was it getting hot out there?
Then Mia cried, fine whatever. Mia and I cried for our Abbey. This was one of the happiest moments of my life seeing my goddaughter so happy. The next moment the girls were almost running up the aisle toward the huge glass door of the house. I grinned, I knew they just wanted to get the reception over with so they could be alone on their honeymoon. We were all barely able to pelt them with the birdseed as they ran.
We all filed slowly into the house, Mia and I were last in. Before we stepped in, she reached up with a soft hand and gently brushed my hair back over my shoulder. I leaned into her touch as she whispered, “You look so beautiful today Victoria.”
I basked in the loving smile she gave me then she was suddenly pulling me into the house to congratulate our girls.
Chapter 10 – White Noise Failure
The next couple weeks were sort of hectic as we wound down from the wedding and awaited the girl’s return from their honeymoon in London. I had given Abbey a handwritten note to give to Candi while they were in England. I missed my best friend a lot. We had kept in touch ever since I moved back home so I liked doing little things like the hand delivered note to let her know that I had not forgotten my second home.
I needed to go visit soon, my godson Brandon had been born three weeks back and I desperately wanted to meet him.
Skylar and Kimi had been conspiring with us the past month. The girls had been house hunting before the wedding and there was one house that the East Fork Issaquah Creek ran through that they loved, but it was out of their price range.
The place was beautiful, surrounded by nature, nestled at the base of the majestic Cascade mountains.
In a pact of evil, Mia and I had pitched in with the Roth’s to outright purchase the house and the surrounding properties for the girls as our wedding present. Oh, I would so make an awesome super-villain! By obtaining the wooded properties around it, we guaranteed that they would always have their privacy without urban sprawl threatening in the future.
On the day the girls would be returning home, Kim and Sky went to pick them up at the airport and Mia and I awaited their return. Then we would be whisking them off to Issaquah for the surprise.
Mia had been getting more and more tense while the girls were on their honeymoon like a shadow was slowly moving over her. She didn’t smile as much lately. I didn’t know what was wrong, but she desperately clung to me more than ever. I was okay with that but also concerned as to what might be wrong. I wracked my brains but couldn’t put my finger on what was causing her sudden anxiety. I made the decision then that I would speak with her that night to see if there were anything I could do to alleviate this new stress.
The girls got home and looked bloody exhausted, but they had squealing hugs for Mia and me. They wanted so bad to retire, but my ebony haired beauty told them, “There’ll be time enough for sleeping later. Besides, you don’t want a bad case of jet-lag, so you should try not to sleep until tonight. We have an errand to run. Please? As a favor to the hyper-blondie over there?”
Abbey grinned and chirped, “Oooo… bringin’ out the big guns and calling the G-mom card? That’s underhanded.”
Sammie attached herself to my arm and leaned her head on my shoulder cutely. “Of course, we can run an errand with Vicky…” then she added, “Mummy.” I swear to you Mia beamed in joy at being called mummy.
Skylar nodded with a satisfied grin and said in her low contralto, “Good, now that that’s settled you silly birds, we should all be about it then.”
The girls rode with the Roth’s and we took my old Range Rover and stopped for an early dinner at the XXX Rootbeer burger joint in Issaquah and we sat at the picnic tables outside. Mia seemed a little distracted by the shadow was hanging over her head and in her eyes.
We had the girls tell us all about their honeymoon, they didn’t have much to say. I knew Abbey had always wanted to go to London for some reason, but she wasn’t very talkative about it. I prompted, “What was you favorite thing in London? Westminster Abbey? Buckingham Palace? Did you get a chance to go out to Stonehenge? “
The girls looked at each other and burst out laughing with embarrassed looks on their faces. Abs slipped her hand into Sam’s and blushed and said, “Ummm… we really didn’t get to see too many sites… but, ummm… the hotel room was nice.” The girls burst out laughing and blushing intensely.
I giggled. “Oh.”
They had a messenger deliver my note for them.
Then Sammie added, “I did promise her that we’d holiday back home soon so she could be a shameful tourist, when we aren’t so bloody… distracted.”
They shared a smile and Sky rolled her eyes shaking her head and teasing. “Kids.”
Then with finely tuned comedic timing, Kimi, with her stoic face said, “Come to think of it, I don’t remember much about our honeymoon except the hotel room either Sky. You were an animal.”
Sammie started waving her arms around like she was trying to erase something from her mind. “Ewwww…. ewwwww… I don’t need to know these things!” To everyone else’s amusement.
Abbey was just as bad as the rest of us when she laid her head on Kim’s shoulder with a spark of mischief in her eye, “I don’t know Sammie, I think it is sweet.”
I was just absently rubbing my thumb on the side of Mia’s hand, our fingers laced as always. Then Sammi asked me, “Help me shut this lot up Vicky.”
I shrugged and said, “Don’t know if I can help you there. I’m 0-3 in love, so I think it is cute. Like mother like daughter.”
She paused a second. I rewound what I said. Did I sound bitter or just pathetic? She smiled and said a little softer, “Traitor!”
Trying to lighten back up, I grinned and winked, saying, “That assumes I was on your side to begin with.” I scrunched my nose, “I think you and Abs are beyond adorable together, so that will get you endless teasing from us.”
Sammie reached over the table and flicked a french fry at me. Mia gave her a cute scrunched nose, squinty-eyed look, then grabbed another fry and dipped it in ketchup and fed it to me. Ha! Take that Samantha! Oh wait, Mia just fed me! I’m frigging melting here!
We cleaned up our mess and headed back to the cars. We took the girls with us this time after Sky and Kim tied black blindfolds on them. Sammie was whispering loudly in the back seat as I drove, “Oh god, they’re going to abandon us in the mountains aren’t they? We’ll have to be adopted by wolves and learn to live in the bloody wilderness.”
Abbey chimed in, “That’s ok, we can name our first child Wolfette. She can enter squirrel beauty pageants and…”
Mia was grinning like an idiot listening to them banter back and forth adding to their imaginary plight until we arrived at the house. We waited until the Roth’s had joined us then we helped the girls out of the car and stood them beside each other,
looking at the gorgeous A-Frame house.
Mia took off Abbey’s blindfold while Skylar took off Samantha’s. Mia said softly to the girls, “A wedding gift from the four of us. We love you girls so much.”
The young women were in shock and struck totally speechless. I handed them a manila envelope that contained the deed and all the paperwork for the house. A moment later I squeaked, “Gack!” as I was pulled into a tight hug by Abbey, then a matching one from Sammie. I was in a super smiley grin mode. Then the girls attacked the other three with just as much gusto.
Abbey was tearing up by the time she could speak again. She said in a wavering voice and tears in her eyes, “We have the most awesome parents.” My eyes were welling up when I realized she was looking at not just Mia and the Roth’s, but at me too. Crap, even though I loved her like a daughter, I didn’t deserve to be lumped in like that. I’m an impostor, I had left her life when she was a baby, for twenty years so the women I loved wouldn’t know I had betrayed our friendship by falling in love with them. I ran so I didn’t have to face one of them fading and dying before my very eyes. I abandoned Abbey’s mother to face it alone.
I… my thoughts were interrupted by Mia standing directly in front of me with a look of concern on her face. She locked eyes with me and brought me back to them all. She cupped my cheek in her hand and I leaned in and smiled and turned to the girls, “Let’s go see your house ladies!”
We walked up to the door and the girls saw the electronic lock on the door, Abbey turned toward us and we made a show of shrugging. This caused Abbey to suddenly squint her eyes directly at me then cock an eyebrow. I feigned innocence and shrugged again. She typed in her code from the lake house and the light turned green and she turned the deadbolt lock with a grin of triumph. I had programmed it and Sammie’s into the door for them. She realized I didn’t have a choice but knowing their codes for the door back at the lake house. It was burned into my memory like everything else. All I ever needed to do was inadvertently glance when they typed it in once.
We were about to go in when another SUV came up the access road. The girls grinned and waited as June pulled up to park beside the other two vehicles. She hopped out with that patented self-assured grin of hers that reminded me so much of her mother, Mandy Fay Harris. “Sorry, I’m late.” She gave the girl’s hugs and nods of the head to us ‘adults.’ “So Hank, AJ, what are we waiting for? Let’s tour your house.” I rolled my eyes. Did June ever use anyone’s real name? We never could get Sammie to tell us why June calls her Hank. All she would ever say was, “Academy orientation.”
The three of them exchanged looks, it was like they had their own secret silent language that only one of June’s Eight would understand and they all burst out laughing as they lead the way into the house, leaving us four women looking at each other in confusion then we all chuckled and followed.
We more mature, except for me, ladies, just chatted as we absently wandered through the house again. We could hear Abs and Sam excitedly sharing their plans for each room with June, the three girls took the Roth’s with them for a tour of the property. Kimi wanted to see the creek, she is such an outdoors person. I smiled at that.
Mia just absently played with my hand as we walked out onto a huge deck on the second floor and looked out through the trees toward the creek. She was lost in thought. I tilted my head, that damn shadow was there again. I asked, “What is it Mi-Mi? Something has been bothering you for weeks now.”
She blinked a couple times then looked over at me like she had only half heard what I had said and was reconstructing it in her head. Then she smiled and lowered her eyes slightly in embarrassment. It just made me want to protect her for some reason. She shook her head and smiled sadly. “It’s nothing Vic. I just…” She paused, looking for the right words. “I just don’t know who I am anymore.”
I tilted my head and furrowed my brow in confusion and prompted, “What do you mean?”
She squeezed my hand then let it go so she could run both hands through her hair, pushing it back over her shoulders as she shrugged. She reclaimed my hand and turned it palm up and just examined it as she said, “It’s s-s-stupid… in college, I lived for m-my relationship with Valla, I loved that woman… still love that woman beyond words. Then after…” She squeezed her eyes shut in painful memory, I knew that she felt Vee’s loss like it was yesterday, just like I did.
She took a deep breath and opened her eyes and then smiled sadly at me, “Well then I dedicated m-m-my life to making sure Abbey had the best life I could give her, a happy life, a full life.”
Then a tear rolled down her cheek and she took another deep breath to steel herself. “But now our baby is all grown up and moving out. I don’t… I don’t know what to do now. I don’t know who I am without her. I’m… glad you are here.” She laced our fingers and squeezed my hand.
I looked at her, absorbing her words. Then looked out over nature and got lost in thought and I said at a million miles an hour, “You’re who you have always been Mia. A woman with more strength, more love, more creativity than anyone I have ever known. You weren’t living for Abbey, you were showing her your strength, giving her an example to aspire to. You give so much of yourself to the people around you because that is who you are, it makes you stronger, and that strength defines you. It is what made me fall in love with you and…”
I snapped my mouth shut realizing what I had just said. Panic was starting to overwhelm me and the voices were all screaming in my head, all the memories of her and Vee wouldn’t let anything else in, I couldn’t concentrate enough to make any white noise and the thoughts running rampant in my head threatened to incapacitate me. I was brought out of my panic as my mind went blank as I concentrated only on the soft lips on mine. There was nothing but silence and heat in my head.
I started returning the kiss. But then realized what I was doing, This would devastate Mia, she would feel as though she were betraying Vee. I know I felt like I was betraying both of them. Oh god! I pushed her to arm’s length. I looked at her through eyes welling in tears. I think I was whispering something like, “No no no… I can’t do that to you…” Then I was running.
I was revealing my true nature again, I was a coward, I was running again. I heard Mia calling after me in a wavering voice. I got to my car and drove off as fast as I could with my vision blurring with tears. Oh god, what had I done? I needed to get away from her before I did irreparable damage. I was hyperventilating by the time I made it to the lake house. I grabbed a bag and my passport and ran back out to the car.
I barely remember making a phone call to my travel agent, getting a private jet to London booked. Candi… Candi would know what to do, how to fix it… I couldn’t stop all of the thoughts and voices and memories that were assaulting me from all sides. I was physically shaking, I knew I’d get into an accident if I didn’t calm down, but my chest hurt so bad. I set my phone to hands-free and had it dial Candice. She answered right away. I croaked out her name, but I hurt everywhere, I couldn’t feel my left arm I… my chest! I remember the telephone pole that seemed to just jump out in front of the car.
Chapter 11 – Define Myself
Come on Mia, get with the program, I chided myself. The girls would be back from their honeymoon any minute now, Skylar and Kimi had gone to get them from the airport. I smiled fondly at that. Skylar knew I had a problem with crowds so they volunteered for that part of our dastardly plan.
I glanced over at the blonde imp beside me on the couch and gave her hand a little squeeze. I took in every curve of her face, the graceful line of her neck, her… lips. Gawd, she was sexy with those reading glasses on as she read the paper.
She stopped for a second then looked over at me and shot me one of those silly smiles I love so much. She took her glasses off with her free hand and absently chewed on an earpiece for a second in that adorable habit I don’t think she realizes she has. She scrunched her nose and asked, “What’s up Mi-Mi?”
I just smiled
back and shook my head. “It’s nothing.” She looked at me a few seconds longer then just smiled and put her glasses back on and went back to speed scanning the newspaper. I smiled at her for a few more seconds then turned back to watch the last minute of news on the television before turning it off.
I glanced over at the miracle beside me. The impossibility of Victoria Amelia Davenport being back in my life. I had missed her for so long, the only person besides Valla and Abbey who accepted me completely for who I was. I still can’t convey the joy that filled me that day in the gallery so many months ago when I saw her face again.
It was as if the part of my heart, that had gone dormant when Valla was called home early by God, had awakened again. I had always believed that Vicky was a beautiful girl, but the woman she had become had totally taken my breath away like only one person had done before. I couldn’t believe how sexy I found her. I had resigned myself to the fact that I would never find love again that I would never feel attracted to another. But then wham! There she was, standing in front of me in the gallery and I almost couldn’t breathe. I felt a familiar sexual attraction… an arousal that woke up parts of me I thought gone forever.
It didn’t take long at all to reacquaint ourselves with each other. There are just certain people in your life that you have a connection with that is almost intimate. A connection that can’t be diminished by time or distance. Those rare people are part of you, part of what defines you.
I felt almost guilty at my attraction to her. I can tell she has the same reservations and the same attraction. But Vicky can’t forget anything, ever, it is always there in front of her, bright as day as if it had just occurred for her. I know she would never act on her feelings because it would tear her apart thinking she is betraying Valla, betraying me.
If only she knew what she was doing to me, I mean she is so friggin hawt. I’m embarrassed to say I’ve had to take care of myself on more than one occasion to work out my fantasies and sexual frustrations.
Lightning Strikes Twice Page 9