by Amber Lacie
“That’s my wife, Piper. You could meet her if you want.”
“I’m good. I mean, not today, but like, maybe soon. We’ll see.”
“Okay.” I stood silently, waiting for him to speak again. I didn’t want to frighten him away by asking a million stupid questions.
“So, you and my mom were a thing once, huh?”
“What?” I tried to swallow the shock in my voice.
“I’m fourteen, I’m not a moron. Some random friend doesn’t just show up one day asking to see me. That’s some weird ass crap. I know who you are. My mom saved a picture of you. It’s in my baby book in her closet. I don’t think she knows I know it’s there. My grandpa showed it to me a couple times, before he died. I didn’t put two and two together at the time. I mean, I obviously know August isn’t my real father.”
“Oh.”
He just shrugged his shoulders and continued on like it was no big deal. “My grandpa said you got into some trouble and you had to leave so my mom and I could have a better life. Is that true?”
“That’s the nicer version of it all.”
“So, what really happened?”
“Jack, as much as I’d like to tell you what happened, I don’t think your mom would appreciate it. She thinks you think I’m just a friend of theirs, right? Maybe we should just get to know each other first, and when your parents are ready, we can all sit down and talk about it.”
He stood still, studying me for a minute. “I figured I’d look like you a little more.”
I laughed. “You look just like your Uncle—”
“Yeah, Yeah. Uncle Daniel. My mom tells me that all the time.”
“You know what you got that he never had?”
“What?” He grinned, waiting to hear some amazing secret.
“That dimple right there,” I said, pointing the spot on his cheek. “That’s from me. It’s even in the same spot as mine.”
“Really?” he asked.
I smiled wide showing off my one and only dimple. “See?”
“That’s cool. I didn’t know that. So, like, what do you do?”
“Well, I work as a security guard for a company in Chicago. It’s not very exciting.”
Jack tossed me the volleyball with a simple request. “Play a game with me.”
“Absolutely.” Tossing the ball over the net, I watched as he hit it back. We played volleyball until the sun kissed the water. The whole time I listened to him talk about his interest in science and rockets. He was incredibly smart. Despite August being a musician, Jack didn’t have any interest in it. His goal was to build a space shuttle capable of reaching Saturn’s largest moon. According to him, he was going to be the first person to discover extraterrestrial life. I just smiled. He was incredible.
Glancing at the fading sun, it was getting late and Piper was sitting alone on the bench, drawing pictures in the sand with her toes. I sighed, not wanting to leave, but knowing I should. “Jack, this has been the best day of my life. I enjoyed hanging out with you. If you don’t mind, I’d like to do it again sometime.”
“I’m cool with that. Having two fathers would be cool. My friend Ryan has two fathers.”
“Oh, yeah?” I tossed the ball over the net to him one last time.
“Yeah. One of his father’s is in the band with my father. You might know him. Walker Stryde?”
“Never heard of him, but don’t tell your father that. I don’t exactly listen to their music.”
“Now that’s funny. Everyone always knows who they are. They fuss over them. It’s annoying.”
“I’m sure it is. Speaking of your father, here he comes.”
August waved as he walked over, Arlo not far behind him. “Hey guys, sorry to cut this short, but it’s getting late and Arlo’s tired.”
“No worries.” Jack shrugged his shoulders again. He didn’t seem to mind much of anything. “Your friend’s pretty cool.”
“Did you guys get along then?”
“Yep. You should invite him over more often. He seems legit.”
I’m legit. I had no clue what it meant, but I took it as a compliment.
“Good, good.” August took the ball from Jack and tucked it under his arm. “Go help your brothers pack up, please.”
“Bye, Ben. I’m glad I met you.”
I smiled, showing my dimple off once more. “Me too, Jack.” I watched him as he ran off to start helping clean up the toys they had brought with for the day.
“Sometimes I forget he got that dimple from you.”
I turned to face Arlington who was leaning into August with her hand resting on her belly. “He’s a great kid. I’m sorry I missed so much of him growing up.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “You’re here now. Let’s start with that.”
I nodded my head. “Thank you for today.”
“You’re welcome. It looks like he had a good time. Maybe next time you can stay a little longer.”
“That’d be nice.”
Arlo winced and brushed her hand against her stomach. “August if she keeps kicking me like this you are changing diapers for an entire year.” August just chuckled to himself as if he had heard that threat before.
“So, you’re having a girl?” I asked.
“Yeah, after three boys I thought we were done, but August wanted to try for a girl.”
Her husband squeezed her tightly into his side and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I already had my queen, I wanted a princess.”
Arlington blushed from head to toe. She looked perfect tucked under his arm. They belonged together, just like Piper belonged with me. “I should get back to my own wife, I’m sure she’s starving by now.”
“She seems sweet, Ben.”
I smiled at August, thanking him for the compliment. “She really is. You guys got my number and you know how to get ahold of me. Think about when I might be able to see him next and I’ll make plans at work to get some time off. I really enjoyed today. It meant the world to me.” I gave a small wave and turned to walk back up the wooden path to where my wife was waiting for me.
Her head popped up, as if she could sense I was there. “So?”
“So, you are fucking beautiful. Let’s get you in the car and back to the hotel. I’m going to devour you.”
Piper nibbled on her bottom lip. “Devour me here.”
“Fuck. Me. You’re going to kill me. Come on, let’s get you up.” Ignoring her suggestion, I helped her up from the bench and walked her to the car, holding her door open for her. Once she was situated, I shut her door, and walked around the car with a huge grin on my face. Opening my door, I slid inside, and put the key in the ignition.
“Ben, what’s that smile for?”
“Today was fucking perfect, baby. That was my son out there. I got to talk to my son. He’s so fucking smart. He wants to go to space, and I believe he’ll do it. He can be anything he wants. He’s brilliant.” I didn’t need to see my reflection in the mirror to know I was glowing. I felt it in my soul.
“Benjamin Oxley, have I ever told you how perfect you are and how much I fucking love you?”
“Not today.”
Her cheeks turned pink as she reached over, laying her hand on my thigh. “When we get back to the hotel, I’m going to show you. But first, you need to feed me.”
“Anything, baby. Anything for you.”
That night we spent hours wrapped in each other’s arms, talking about the things the baby would need, colors for the nursery, and how perfect our little family was going to be. It was heaven on Earth.
As I looked into the eyes of my beautiful wife, I couldn’t help but recall how the woman beside me had saved my life. I’ve told her a million times, and she never believed it. However, I intend to keep telling her until the day I die because she’ll never understand the love I have for her. It’s endless. It’s infinite. It’s perfect. She’s all the pieces that made me who I am today. I can’t even picture my world without her. But that’s becau
se a world without her should never exist.
The End
Stay tuned for The Pieces That Built Her
Coming 2020
Shadows
Book one of The Love Ever After Series
Eve was content getting lost in her books, while living with her best friends. She’s a beautiful girl surrounded by her friends and family. In her twenty-six years of life, nothing exciting has ever happened to her. Everything is going perfectly for her. Little does she know, one summer at the beach could change her life forever…
Theron is the son of a cutthroat multi-billionaire business tycoon. He thought he left behind the world his father created, but things change. Now, he’s devoted himself to his eccentric grandma. His only hope at overcoming his past, is finding the one person he lost so very long ago…
When Eve bumps into Theron, their worlds collide. Nothing can prepare them for the instant fireworks and roller coaster ride waiting for them.
But…One has a secret. Can their love overcome tragedy, lies, and secrets?
Light
Book Two of The Love Ever After Series
Shadows are surrounding Theron burying him in their darkness.
Despair and hatred cling to him. His only thoughts are of Eve and vengeance…
Eve desperately tries to save Theron from the path he is on, but secrets are kept. When evil starts to surround them, intent on destroying them, Eve runs into trouble…
Theron’s world shatters around him, but he’s not giving up without a fight…
Can Theron and Eve find Light among the Shadows? Or will evil win?
Reflections
Book Three of The Love Ever After Series
Broken hearts aren’t just for the weak. Sometimes it’s the strongest ones who fall the hardest.
Evan didn’t need love, and honestly, he didn’t want it. Every time he opened his heart, he got hurt. If he learned one thing in the military, it was how to survive. To do that, he had to run. But before he could, he lost himself to someone who never should have been there in the first place. Now, her blonde ringlets and the feeling of her body pressed to his still haunt his dreams.
Kayla wanted nothing to do with men after her fiancé not only left her for someone else, but also stranded her at a wedding reception. All she had to comfort her was a few glasses of wine and the quietness of the starry night sky. She wanted to be alone, to hide herself from the world, however, under a gazebo she sought solace from her heartache and found herself in the arms of another man.
When their worlds collide years later, will either of them be able to trust what their hearts are telling them?
pretty;
After a lifetime of torture from a man set out to destroy her, Andie finally finds herself surviving on her own, free of his grasp despite her past still haunting her dreams.
Laith had his own demons to fight, but now he's thriving in Chicago as the owner of City Ink Tattoos.
When Andie and Laith meet, their worlds shift as they find strength in each other. Will they be able to build with the pieces of their hearts they have left, or will their love crumble and fall, leaving them both completely shattered?
Breathe
Sometimes, love is fated in the stars. You know you are destined for each other. Your souls entwine, and you can’t imagine your life without them. Sometimes, it’s found when you’re not looking for it. It peeks around the corner when you least expect it, sweeping you off your feet, carrying you off into the sunset. Sometimes, there are a lucky few, who get to experience both. I was one of the lucky ones.
Indigo
Some girls are born independent and fierce. They constantly shock the world, bringing it to its knees. Indigo Bryant is one of them. At the young age of thirty, she has already bought and sold a highly successful design business. Needing a change of pace, she up roots herself from New York City, to move near her best friend in a small town in Alabama. What was supposed to be a relaxing summer, starts to change into something different when she meets Alexander Clark.
Despite his many talents and charming personality, Alexander Clark can't move forward and let go of the guilt from a horrible accident. His once promising baseball career, has now faded into the shadows. He's paralyzed by the nightmares of his past. That is until he meets Indigo…
Not every girl needs a knight in shining armor. Not every girl needs to be saved.
Not every boy is a knight. Sometimes, they are the ones that need to be saved…
The Pieces That Built Me
Book one of The Pieces Series
Every person is a puzzle made up of many different pieces, each connecting perfectly to the pieces around it. After a while, a picture begins to come into focus, and then we, the puzzle creator, can finally make sense of the beauty displayed before us.
It was different for me. Some of my pieces were bent or twisted, but I made them fit. It wasn’t until I finally let him in that I realized I was missing one important piece…
Love.
I knew how to give it. What I didn’t know was how to accept it––until he showed me how…
You can contact Amber Lacie at [email protected]
Amber Lacie grew up in Chicagoland and now lives in a quaint little town in Northwest Indiana. She has two beautiful children and a husband who worships the ground she walks on (or at least he should). She is an avid reader and coffee drinker. The love of being able to be transported into another world and experience adventures through someone else’s imagination has always captured her attention. Now, she is expanding that love into writing and is looking forward to producing many books.
Website: www.amberlacieauthor.wix.com/author-blog
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Twitter: @amber_lacie