Everything Stolen

by Sophia Scarlet

  “Sharon, it’s time for you to leave,” says Silas, holding open the door.

  She glances back to Silas and then raises her eyes to look around the house.

  “Don’t you think you’re better off being grateful for all this?” she asks. “You should be glad that you’ve found someone who will overlook your shortcomings.” Lowering her voice and leaning closer, she adds, “LEAVE MY SON ALONE.”

  The whispered threat chills me but I don’t dignify her effrontery with a reply. A knock at the open door draws my attention. Taking the opportunity to step away from Sharon, I see Immy at the door with a casserole dish.

  “Sylvie?” she asks. “Is now a bad time?”

  She looks between me and Sharon Bradford with wide eyes.

  “No,” Silas says, gesturing for her to enter. “Please come in. Sharon was just on her way out.”

  Huffing, Sharon glares at me again and then stomps out of the house leaving the stench of Chanel No. 5 and entitlement in her wake. She lingers on the step just long enough to sneer at Imogen before she disappears into a black town car.

  “Wow,” says Immy, staring as the car pulls away. “I don’t think I ever really believed she was as awful as you said.”

  Turning back to me, her large dark brown eyes shine with empathy.

  “But you were actually underselling it,” she adds. “That woman is a monster.”

  I puff a sad kind of amusement from my nose and nod. Deciding to try to put Sharon Bradford out of my mind, I smile at Immy.

  “Is everything okay? Did we have plans?”

  “No, I just… I wanted to drop in and see how you were managing with…” Immy casts a nervous glance at Silas before she finishes “…everything.”

  “That’s my cue to clear out,” Silas jests.

  He brushes the hair from my eyes and presses his lips to my face.

  “Let me know if she tries to harass you anymore, baby,” he whispers against my cheek.

  I lean in to his lips, communicating my understanding with a head bob. He pulls away and my eyes tell him that I’m so grateful he’s here. He smiles over his shoulder as he ascends the steps.

  Turing back to Immy, I’m suddenly very embarrassed by the spectacle.

  “Immy…”

  “Don’t you dare apologize,” she says before I can express my mortification. “We all have in-laws. Phillip’s parents aren’t monsters but, if you saw my therapy bills you’d know they’re quite the mixed bag.”

  I chortle as she squeezes my hand. Immy has always been the closest of all my friends. As the only two brown-skinned mommies-to-be in our birthing class, we bonded quickly. I love my pink, peach, and beige friends every bit as much, but there are some things that are too painful to explain and with Immy, I don’t need words.

  “Do you want to talk about that?” she asks, her nose poking in the direction of the front door.

  Exhaling, I shake my head.

  “There’s no point. She’s always resented me.”

  “She doesn’t see you. You know that, right? It’s her stuff.”

  “I know. But in someways that makes it harder. If I’d done something or not done something… you know… I could try to fix it or make it better. But I can’t fix the fact that I’m an orphan or that my MA isn’t from an Ivy or that I’m…”

  Sweeping my hand down the length of my caramel-skinned body, I lift my eyebrows. With a knowing smile, Immy wraps me into a hug and her casserole dish presses into my side.

  “What did you bring?” I ask.

  “Oh, sorry.” She pulls away and opens the lid. “Raw brownies. I added the almonds just like you like them!”

  “You’re the best! Come in. I’ll get plates and forks.”

  A minute later we’re sitting around the kitchen table with a brownie and a bottle of cold kombucha in front of each of us. The brownies are devoured with happy sighs before Immy pats her lips with her napkin.

  “So the reason I dropped by was actually about what you mentioned on the hike last week.”

  “You know a good nanny?” I ask after swallowing my last bite of brownie.

  “No. I know someone looking for an editor.”

  Ears perking up, I smile.

  “Really? Tell me more!”

  “Well, My friend Amy is just finishing her final revision on a novel. It’s historical fiction and she is eager to self-publish. But she’s worked really hard on it and she’d be mortified to publish something with errors. I told her I knew a professional freelance copyeditor who might be able to fit her in sometime next month or so.”

  “Oh my God, that sounds great. But… I don’t have any experience with fiction editing.”

  Waving me off, she digs into her bag.

  “Yeah but she just needs a copyeditor. You just have to make sure all her sentences are sentences and her questions end in question marks. You did that for years at the newspaper before you had Levi. It’s the same thing.”

  She slides a piece of paper with Amy’s contact information across the table and smiles. Nodding, I try to swallow the lump in my throat as I take it.

  “Okay. I’ll call her tomorrow.”

  “Good! I’m going to go. I promised hubby I’d watch the latest episode of The 100 with him.”

  Standing, she takes her kombucha and I walk her to the door.

  “See you on Saturday afternoon for hike?”

  “I’ll be there,” I reply. “And thanks.”

  She gives me a hug and a broad smile and she’s out the door. I wave as her car heads down the driveway. My leg jiggles with excitement and I hurry up the steps to tell Silas. The hum of running water leads me to the master bathroom. I kick off my shoes before opening the door. The thick steam filling the room moistens my breath and the foggy glass prevents me from seeing inside the shower.

  “Silas, Immy just gave me the best news.”

  “Oh yeah?” he asks. “I can barely hear you over the shower, come closer.”

  Stepping right up to the shower door, I open my mouth to tell him the news, but strong hands drag me in. He pulls me against his hard wet body and I’m instantly soaked.

  “I’m still dressed,” I shriek as my jeans and blouse grow heavy.

  “I’ll buy you new clothes, baby,” he rasps against my lips.

  Backing me into the shower wall, he tugs at the button on my jeans. His forearm slaps against the ceramic by my head as his other hand tugs down my zipper. His teeth scrape at my jaw and I shiver.

  “I need this,” he whispers,” I need my wife.”

  His muscles are corded and tight. After putting in such an effort to be pleasant with Jeremy and facing all the drama with Sharon, he’s tense. I can’t refuse him tonight. So I help him peel off my blouse. Turning me to face the tile, he unhooks my bra and tosses it to the side. He tugs back my wet hair and grips my jaw to bring my mouth to his. The kiss is savage. His tongue plunges deeply, owning my mouth. Then his teeth clamp around my top lip, scraping as he pulls away.

  I gasp when his hand shoves into my wet jeans and he strokes my pussy. Two thick fingers penetrate my sex as his palm rubs circles over my clit. The pressure is delicious. He leans in, flattening my breasts against the shower tiles.

  “You’re always so warm for me,” he rasps. “So fucking tight around my fingers.”

  I whimper and he presses harder. His fingers hook inside me and I come hard. My muffled moans echo through the bathroom. My eyes flutter as he turns me to face him. Shoving my jeans and panties down my thighs, he undresses me with urgency. The rough fabric scrapes my skin as he tugs off the last of my clothing.

  Gripping my ass, he lifts me. I pant as he pushes my back hard into the tiles. He nibbles at my throat as I wrap my legs around him. I’m still fluttering when he thrusts inside me. I call out his name as my fingernails dig into his shoulders.

  “Fuck you feel like heaven, baby,” he whispers as he slows down.

  He’
d been rough and hungry entering me, but he’s gentle now, drawing out each stroke. His large hands roam my wet skin, caressing, worshiping my body. He moves the wet hair off my face and looks at me. We’re still for a moment, connected. Husband and Wife.

  “I love you,” I tell him, kissing drops of water off his chin and cheeks.

  His eyes flicker closed. When he opens them again, the affection in his gaze melts into determination and he thrusts hard. He drives me into the wall, gripping my eyes. Then his mouth descends on mine and he plunders. I moan and he pumps harder.

  He pulls away and bites down on my neck with force that is almost painful. With both arms tight around me, he explodes. I steal short gasping breaths until his grip loosens and air floods into my lungs again.

  “God, I love you,” he breathes into the side of my neck. “You make it all worth it.”

  * * *

  I’ve dried my hair and put on my coziest pajamas when I climb into bed. He’s there, shirt off, working on his laptop.

  “Baby did you have something to tell me?” he asks as he’s typing.

  “Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. Immy got me a job.”

  The clicking of the keypad stops as he turns to me.

  “I thought we talked about this,” he says, reaching up to smooth a strand of hair off my face. “You’re seeing Kelly the midwife tomorrow afternoon. My parents are picking up Levi so you won’t have to rush. As soon as we get rid of your IUD, we can get you knocked up again and then you won’t have time for work.”

  He smiles, turning back to his computer as if the matter is settled.

  “I don’t think we did talk about it, Silas.”

  Looking straight ahead, he closes the laptop and tongues his molars. Rubbing his jaw, he turns to me.

  “Are you saying you don’t want another baby?”

  The hurt in his eyes pierces me and I rethink everything.

  “It’s not that I don’t want another baby, but maybe right now isn’t the best…”

  I trail off when one corner of his mouth tugs back and he coughs.

  “How, uh… how long before it’s the right time, Sylvie?”

  “Silas…”

  “Or maybe it’d be the right time now if Jeremy were the one asking?”

  My face is frozen but my whole body trembles. Silas flinches and then drags a hand through his hair.

  “Shit,” he mutters rubbing his mouth as he hangs his head.

  Returning his eyes to me, he swallows.

  “I’m sorry, baby.”

  He reaches for me but I scoot away. His touch stings my skin as his hurtful words vibrate through my veins. Dropping his hands, he looks at me as he bites down on his bottom lip.

  “Look, it’s been a really long day. And the truth is I’m short with you because I’m feeling guilty about something I’ve kept from you for a long time.”

  My stomach turns and my heartbeat quickens. Eagerly—and yet dreading what he will say next—I lean toward him.

  “What do you mean? What’d you do?”

  Scratching at his hair again, he takes a deep breath. The way he avoids my eyes, makes me want to scream, but I reserve my temper.

  “Silas,” I whisper. “Tell me what you’ve done.”

  The sharpness in my timbre forces his gaze back to me.

  “The only reason I kept it from you is that I knew that you’d be terrified.”

  “Kept what?”

  “Levi was just a couple months old, and you were so exhausted and overwhelmed. You were struggling and I needed to protect you so I just handled it myself and I always planned to tell you later, but…”

  “Just tell me!” I plead.

  “Sharon and Bruce wanted to take Levi away from you.”

  Confusion twists my face and I shake my head. Before I can process what he’s confessed, my face is wet and my whole body is shaking.

  “They… is that even possible?”

  Gripping my hands between his, Silas looks into my eyes.

  “I would never let that happen, Sylvie.”

  I nod and when he pulls me into his arms this time, I let him.

  “They didn’t know we were together yet. I’d kept it from them because I thought they might fire me. But when they told me what they wanted to do—that they wanted to sue for full custody and have you declared unfit—it was like a switch flipped.”

  He strokes my arms rhythmically as he speaks and I begin to calm.

  “I didn’t care if they fired me. I didn’t care if they got every single one of my clients to turn against me. I told them it wasn’t happening and I called in every favor I had to make sure no family lawyer on the West Coast would take their case. Do you remember how when we got married I insisted that you add me to Levi’s birth certificate as his father and have him take my name? It was easy because you’d left it blank initially and he had your name. But giving him my name made their case even harder.”

  Tipping my chin up, he looks into my eyes. If he’s lying, he’s very, very good at it.

  “I knew that you’d be worried about it if you knew what they wanted, so I kept it from you. But I don’t want there to be anything that could drive a wedge between us, Sylvie. If you run off with him, I don't want it to be because you think I’m keeping things from you.”

  Pulling out of his arms I take his face in both my hands.

  “Why do you keep torturing yourself this way?” I ask. “What can I do to prove that I would never do that?”

  He doesn’t say anything, but we’re both thinking the same thing.

  “The job Immy found for me, it’s freelance editing. One novel. I can work on it while Levi is at school. And even if we got lucky right away, I’d still be able to finish before the baby came.”

  The smile that spreads his lips is tentative.

  “You’re sure?”

  “No.” I smile and ease my hands down to his chest. “But I love you and I do want more children. Maybe it will never be the right time? Maybe we just have to take the leap?”

  Cradling my face between his hands, he kisses me.

  “You forgive me for not telling you before?” he whispers as he pulls back.

  “I do. I love you for protecting me… for protecting both of us.”

  “I will always take care of you, baby. Never doubt that. Everything changed for me when we met. I loved you so damn much, Sylvie. And I love you more every day.”

  I answer him with my mouth on his. As he pulls me on top of him, I feel more certain than ever that marrying Silas was the smartest decision of my life.

  Chapter Seventeen

  My muscles burn with every lift, but I can’t stop yet. The day I have ahead of me will require discipline. Specifically, the type of mental discipline that only comes from a work out high. I’ll keep pushing until the beast inside me is too worn out to fuck with my head. I grunt out every rep until I feel the singular calm that only comes from muscle exhaustion.

  When I finally drop the weights for the last time I’m drenched with sweat and my whole body is shaking. Jim chuckles.

  “If you had back-to-back Chambers visits every day you’d be…”

  “Don’t even think it,” I cut him off. “If I had to see Silas Chambers every day… well one of us wouldn’t survive long.”

  “So why are you seeing him today?”

  “Curiosity.”

  When Jim quirks up a brow, I continue.

  “I want the mother of my child back and Silas is the one standing in my way. He thinks he has something to say that’s going to make me let it go and I want to know what it is.”

  Jim nods but his eyes suggest that he’s got more to say.

  “If you’re waiting for an engraved invitation to say your piece, man, you’re going to be disappointed.”

  Chuckling, Jim rubs his legs—a gesture I’ve observed him make whenever he’s nervous.

  “JB,” he says, “I’ve got to ask if you
’ve considered that maybe you oughta back off here.”

  When I shoot him an incredulous glare, he adds, “They’re married.”

  “Well they shouldn’t be. She only married him because I was gone. And I’d put money on Silas having something to do with me being gone in the first place.”

  “You think Silas found a way to make you disappear so he could get close to Sylvie?”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time some crazy stalker went to extreme measures to get to a woman who belonged to someone else.”

  “Kinda like what you’re doing now?”

  “It’s not the same, Jim. Levi is MY son. Sylvie and I were in love. I was going to propose and there’s not a doubt in my mind that she would have said yes.”

  “So you figure that you had her first?” he scoffs. “Grow up, man. You know every asshole who breaks up someone else’s marriage thinks that he’s the exception. But the truth is that Sylvie and Silas made vows to each other. And unless SHE decides for her own reasons that she wants out, you’re just another asshole, just like the guy who convinced my wife she could never be happy with a cripple.”

  Every bit of the anger I’d felt surging as he spoke evaporates as he glares at me and wheels out of the room. I walk back to my suite with my frustrations tearing at me. I'd forgotten about Jim's ex. If I hadn't been so wrapped up in my own shit, I might have anticipated that the subject would be a little raw for him. I hit a nerve for both of us.

  Heading straight for the shower, I strip off my work out clothes and leave them in a trail on the floor. I want to push aside the guilt I’m feeling. Sylvie built a life for herself, for our son. Maybe a better man would step aside? Maybe a man who loved her less would be content to see her in another man’s arms? To see his son on the occasional weekend?

  But this isn't just about me and what I want. If Silas had schemed to get me out of the way, then he could be a danger to her and to Levi. I couldn’t just walk away and build a life with someone else knowing that Sylvie and my son could be in danger. Or was that just wishful thinking?

  “Fuck me,” I mutter as the hot water pounds down on me.

  I close my eyes and I see her. I'm instantly hard. My cock throbs, remembering the last time she was truly mine. I wrap my hand around my shaft and squeeze. My balls ache for release as I picture it all like it was yesterday.