by Sherie Keys
“That’s why. There is something so powerful and so real between us, and it was strong enough that it drove me from across the world to get to you. I am not going to lose you, especially to some ex-boyfriend who couldn’t see what he had when you were his, who treated you poorly, lied to you, used you, and deceived you about his intentions the entire time you were with him. Also, that’s not a diamond on your hand, that’s cubic zirconia. He doesn’t care about you, not like I do, and I’m not giving up on you.” He touched his forefinger to her swollen lips for a moment, and then left her standing in the doorway as he walked out of her house.
She hadn’t ever felt so much need for him, and watching him walk away was one of the most difficult things she had ever done. She knew that if she called out to him he would turn around and come back to her. She knew that if she asked him to make love to her, he would take her up to her bedroom and love her heart and her body as he never had before, and every bit of those thoughts and desires was so tempting to her, but she looked at the ring on her finger and she remembered that she had agreed to be another man’s wife, and that changed everything.
Chapter11
With the site spaces chosen, it was time to get to work on the sites, building the bee gardens. Delphine took all of the plans for the renovation to the warehouse and the creation of the site gardens to the office at the warehouse, where she was meeting with Julio and Justin.
She was shocked to see when she pulled up that there was a mass of workers, trucks, machinery, and building materials waiting out in front of the warehouse.
“What’s all this?” she asked incredulously as she turned her attention away from the scene and over to Julio, Georgia, and Justin.
“This is your renovation crew. They’re ready to go. We’re going to give your plans to the foreman right now, and he’s going to put his workers on the job immediately. It happens now,” Julio said with great gusto. It was clear to see that he was tremendously excited about it.
The foreman walked over to them then and introduced himself. “I’m David, you must be Delphine.” He gave her a courteous nod.
“Yes, I am. Thank you for being here,” she replied, still too stunned to really say much to him or the others.
“Do you have the renovation plans with you?” he asked interestedly. She handed them to him and he looked over them. “These are very well done.” He gave her a nod. “We can have this done in two weeks.”
Her mouth fell open, as did Justin’s. “Two weeks?” they chorused. Georgia’s brows shot up, and her eyes widened.
“That’s right!” He gave them a big smile and walked off toward his crew to show them the plans and give them instructions.
Julio was grinning broadly. “I have more good news,” he added, and Justin and Delphine both looked at him in surprise.
“More?” Justin asked in anticipation.
“Yes. I’ve completed the purchases of all of the sites. A separate set of contractors will be focused on the lots and spaces, as well as demolishing the three buildings; all of which have been bought. In addition to that, we have all the green lights from Commissioner Hank Thomas on the demolition and renovations, so there are no delays or blockades. It’s all go from here on out. Now, I took the list of initial pants and flowers from Justin, and I’ve had the orders purchased from farms and greenhouses all over the country. Those plants will all be delivered here about the same time that the construction is finishing up, so we can get right to work building the gardens. Justin’s been on top of getting the beehives ready.”
Georgia smiled broadly then and held up a stack of papers. “I’ve created a volunteer program for the various neighborhoods so that people can get involved in the projects and truly feel like they are a part of it; be more aware of it and help to build it up. After talking with local neighborhood watch groups around the sites, I also feel that this will cut down on vandalism of the sites if the neighborhood is proud of what they are creating. I think we’re going to see a lot of success with it. I’ve distributed fliers for the volunteer program in the neighborhoods of every site, and we have gotten a big response from all of them. People are excited about this project and they are ready to come out and work, ready to help us build these gardens and then care for them.”
“Georgia, that’s incredible!” Delphine laughed out loud with joy. Reaching her arm around her friend’s shoulders, she hugged her tightly. “I can’t believe you did all that! Well, actually I can, but it’s still really impressive all the same!”
Georgia hugged her back. “Hey, we’re a team, and we’ve got to get this done!”
Justin grabbed both Georgia and Delphine and wrapped them in a big hug. “It’s happening! It’s finally, really happening!” They both celebrated with him, and all of them thanked Julio from their hearts.
Delphine was sitting in her kitchen working on site development plans when her phone rang. She picked it up and saw that it was Mike.
“Hi!” She smiled and set her pencil down, turning in her chair to look out of the window and give him her full attention.
“Hey, baby. How are you doing?” he asked with the familiar drawl.
“I’m good. How are you?” she returned to him.
“Oh, I’m good. I was just thinking, you know Oliver’s at school right now, right? I mean, maybe I could come over and we could have some one on one grown up time. How about it?” His voice had a sultry sound to it.
She sighed and frowned. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mike. We said we were going to wait a month, and we need to stick to that. I’ve got a lot going on right now with Oliver and the bee gardens, and I have a lot of work to do. In fact, I’m working on site development right now. I only set it down, so I could take your call. If you can be patient, all of this will settle down soon. The trial month will be over, the gardens will be built, and up and running. It’ll be a much better time for me to focus on you. This is not that time.”
He groaned in disappointment. “What if we compromise? Right? What if I take you out this weekend? You could find a babysitter for Oliver, and then you and me, we could go out and have some grown up time then, since you’re so busy right now.”
Delphine let out a sigh of frustration. “No, Mike. I’m spending the weekend with Oliver and we’re working on the sites. You’re welcome to come and join us there. It would really mean a lot to me to have the help, and it would give you some more time with Oliver.”
“Yeah, I can come and do that. I can be there for you and help out. Hang out with the kid a little bit. Count me in. I’ll be there,” he sounded sure of himself.
With a breath of relief, Delphine smiled. “Thank you so much, Mike, that is such a big help to me, and it does really mean a lot.”
“Anything for you, baby,” he cooed at her through the phone.
She said her goodbye and ended the call, turning her attention back to the site development plans, feeling much better about all of the changes that were happening in her life.
Saturday came, and Delphine, Justin, Georgia, and Oliver went to the first site that they would be working on. All of them were excited and they were doubly so to see that several members of the community also came to do some work and support the project.
Georgia was giving out instructions to the group of volunteers when Delphine saw someone approaching the lot out of the corner of her eye and she turned to see Adrian walking up to the group with two large baskets in his hands and a delivery man behind him. The delivery man began setting up a small table, and Adrian set the baskets on it.
Delphine’s mouth fell open and she hurried over to him. “What are you doing here?” she asked him for the second time that week.
He grinned and pulled a pair of gloves out of the back pockets of his jeans. “I’m here to work and contribute. What’s important to you is important to me.” He looked over and saw that Georgia had finished giving out instructions. “Good morning, everyone!” he called out. “I’ve brought breakfast for you, so pl
ease feel free to come up and get anything you like. My friend here will take care of whatever you need, from juice and coffee, to fruit and bagels. Let’s have a great workday!”
All of the volunteers cheered, and many of them went to the table for refreshments. Oliver came up to Delphine then and looked up at Adrian. “Is this a friend of yours too?” he asked lightly. His confidence and socialization skills had increased tremendously since he had been living with her, and at all other times save this one instance, she was glad about that.
“Yes,” Delphine admitted. “He is a very good friend of mine. Adrian, this is Oliver. Oliver, this is my dear friend, Adrian.”
Adrian knelt down beside the boy. “Hey, you know I’m going to be working here all day, why don’t we team up and we can work together side by side. You can tell me all about the plans and what’s going on here.”
Oliver grinned and nodded his head enthusiastically. “Yeah! I’d love that!”
“Well, why don’t you go dig into those donuts first, or some of the fruit, and then when you’re ready, we’ll get started.” Adrian gave him a wink.
Oliver laughed. “Okay. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Adrian stood up and looked at Delphine. “He’s a cute kid. I’m looking forward to spending the day with him.”
“You don’t have to do that. He can work by me today,” she told him with a half-smile.
He shook his head. “No, I won’t hear it. You’re going to be busy running this outfit all day long, helping your volunteers and being pulled in different directions, and he doesn’t have to be part of that. He and I will have a good time just doing the work and hanging out. Besides, it’ll give me a chance to get to know him, and I do want to get to know him.”
Just then, two of the volunteers came to her with questions, and while she was answering the second one, a third person approached her. Adrian winked at her. “See? He’s going to be fine with me today.”
Delphine had to acquiesce that he was right, and every time she looked over at Oliver and Adrian that morning, she saw them talking and laughing as they worked. The only thing she didn’t see was Mike showing up as he had told her that he would.
They worked straight through to lunch, and Delphine was stunned to find out that Adrian had had lunch catered, sandwiches and salads along with cool drinks. She told him that he didn’t have to do that either, but he insisted that it was nothing at all. She continued to search for Mike, but he was nowhere to be seen.
At one point in the afternoon, when most of the work was done, she looked over at Oliver and saw him standing beside Adrian, holding his hand. Neither of them was looking at her but rather at some of the work that they had done together, and her heart was deeply touched. It was touched to the point that tears stung at her eyes, and she found herself feeling sentimental that Adrian was such a good friend to her.
She did her best not to watch him during the day, not to look over at him time and time again as he was working, sweating in the hot sun and hanging out with Oliver. He pulled his shirt off at one point and continued to work without it. It took her breath away to see him that way, and she remembered so many times when she had lain against that same bare chest and clung to his strong shoulders as he was bringing her to extreme heights of pleasure. She tried not to think of any of it, but it was still there in her mind.
Delphine tried to ignore the way that electricity moved through her every time Adrian was close to her, when his hands would grip her waist for a moment, touch her lower back, or the way that his lips brushed her neck seductively when he hugged her goodbye and kissed her cheek. Everything in her was burning for him the entire day, and when they left, it was everything that she could do to keep him off of her mind.
She felt confused about her emotions and her desires. Mike had never showed up, and he had not answered any of the texts she’d sent him asking him where he was. He hadn’t answered any communication from her at all, and yet there was Adrian, working harder than any of them all day without a word of complaint, spending all of his time there with Oliver, save for when he was close to her. It was those covert moments that had torn at her; his attentions shifted from work and Oliver to her, reaching for her when no one was looking, his subtle touching and teasing. She saw his eyes moving over her body throughout the day, and it only made her want him more. Every memory they had shared exploring Lisbon, sailing, cooking, holding each other and loving passionately deep into the nights, all of the memories flowed through her like a river the whole time he was with her and only grew stronger the more time he was near her.
Confusion was all that she was filled with by the time the day was done, and she had no idea what to do with it. As Adrian was leaving, he came to her and embraced her, holding her close and kissing her cheek. He nuzzled her ear and neck momentarily and the softest gasp escaped her. He gave her a knowing smile and then hugged Oliver. “Great work today, young man! I’m proud of you.” Oliver was radiating happiness.
When he let the boy go, he looked into the child’s eyes and spoke to both Oliver and Delphine. “Have dinner with me Monday night.”
Before Delphine could say a single word, Oliver was bouncing up and down beside her. “Yes! Yes! Yes!” he cried out. “Thank you, Adrian! Can we, Delphine? Can we please?” he begged her, turning his big brown eyes up to her.
She melted on the spot. “I guess that would be fine.” She nodded in agreement, and she saw Adrian give her a wink. She knew he was flirting with her, and she liked it, but she knew that she shouldn’t even be around him at all. All the same, she thought to herself, it was just dinner, and Oliver would be there, so it would be safe and family friendly.
Adrian left them, and Justin walked up to Delphine and Oliver then. He looked from Adrian to Delphine and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. Oliver piped up excitedly. “Hello, Uncle Justin!”
“Hey, little buddy! Did you have a good day?” Justin shifted his attention to the young man beside him.
“Yeah, and you know what? We got so much work done here today!” Oliver was thrilled beyond measure.
“I see that! You did such an amazing job!” Justin praised him. “I think it’s time we all went home now though. It’s been a long day, right?”
Oliver agreed wholeheartedly with him, and both he and Delphine climbed gratefully into Justin’s car. They were home in no time, and while Oliver was upstairs taking a shower, Justin gave Delphine a knowing look.
“So, who is the guy?” he asked, peering intently at her.
“What guy?” she asked innocently, pouring them each a glass of wine and deliberately avoiding Justin’s gaze.
“Don’t ‘what guy’ me. The beautiful guy you were non-flirting with all day, the one who couldn’t keep his eyes or his hands off of you. Who is he?” Justin probed further.
She sighed. She knew better than to try to get away with ignorance around him. “That’s Adrian.” Speaking his name made her heart skip a beat and she did her best to ignore it.
Justin lowered a brow and leaned forward, placing his hands on the counter. “Wait… Lisbon Adrian? That Adrian?”
Delphine nodded and raised her eyes to meet his. “Yeah. That Adrian.”
“No way.” Justin stood straight again and stared at her. “What’s he doing here?”
Delphine’s shoulders fell, and she took a long sip of wine. “He came because he wants me. He showed up here and told me that he’s in love with me and he can’t stop thinking about me. He was thrilled about Oliver, and when I told him about my being engaged to Mike, he said he’s going to win me back from him. He said he’s not giving up on me.”
Justin began to smile a little. “Oh honey. That’s a sticky situation. What are you going to do about it?”
She took another long drink of her wine and set the glass down, looking over at her best friend. “What do you think I’m going to do? I’m engaged to Mike, I’m going to marry Mike!”
“Just for the record here, and you know I mostly support you in
all your decisions, I want to tell you what a terrible idea I think it is for you to marry Mike. I think any man who would travel halfway across the world for you to win you back, a man who professes his love for you, who wants a family and is willing to accept Oliver, is worth at least a chance,” Justin stated adamantly.
He walked around the counter of the island and looked at Delphine squarely. “I didn’t see Mike there today. I never see Mike involved with your interests, but I did see Adrian there, and he worked his ass off today. He spent the whole day with Oliver, teaching him, helping him, taking care of him and making sure he ate and stayed hydrated, and he busted it out today working voluntarily for your project. Did you even hear from Mike today? Because I saw you check your phone about a hundred times.”
She shook her head. “No, I didn’t hear from him at all,” she admitted quietly. “I’m already committed to Mike, and I’m not breaking it.”
“Well, you do whatever you feel you need to do, but I feel like the choice is more than clear here. I’ll be there for you no matter what you do, and I’ll keep my opinions in my pocket, but you know where I stand on this.” He reached for her and hugged her gently.