Uncovering Peace

by Steffy Rogers

  “Nope.” He laughs and I throw a towel at him. Bastard. He knows how much I hate surprises. Yet I’m still giddy with excitement for this trip.

  Seth has been so supportive of me in the last two months. He is there whenever I have a meltdown or wake from a nightmare. They’ve gotten better but every once in a while they do come back to haunt me. I’d wake up covered in sweat and he’ll just hold me.

  Even though the meeting with my mom was very emotional and had me on edge the entire time, it also had a healing effect on me. I was finally able to let go of all the anger, hurt, and frustration I had built up over the years. I do believe that she had no idea of what my dad was capable of and part of me wants to forgive her and give her a chance. But the other part is holding on to that grudge I had twenty years to build. Maybe one day we’ll have a semi normal relationship. For now though I’ll concentrate on what’s in front of me – Seth and myself. I can’t keep messing this up and taking him for granted. He’s amazing and without him I’d be lost. I found my strength in him. I’d forever be grateful for that. He’s my hero.

  Walking out to the living room he’s already standing there with our suitcases ready to go. He looks so fucking hot in his white shirt and cutoff jeans. His muscular arms are bulging with the weight of our luggage and I can’t help but lick my lips at the sight. If we weren’t on a schedule I’d be having my wicked way with him right now. I’ll never tire of the man in front of me, my man. The sound of that puts a smile on my face. Seth is all mine and I’ll make sure it stays that way for the rest of our lives.

  “See something you like, Peach?” He’s flashing his cocky smile that I love so much at me.

  “No. I’m wondering what this stranger is doing in my house with my luggage in his hand?” I laugh.

  “Oh, if that’s the game you want to play, you can always carry this heavy ass suitcase yourself. Seriously, woman, what do you have in there? Bricks?”

  “You aren’t telling me where we’re going. So I had to pack for every possible scenario.”

  “Fair enough. Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”

  He loads everything into his truck and soon we are headed out. I have no idea where we are going.

  We spend most of the ride in comfortable silence. Sometime during the drive I must’ve fallen asleep because when I wake we are at some kind of port. What the fuck?

  “What is this, Seth?”

  “Surprise. We’re going on a three day cruise to the Bahamas.”

  “Are you for real? Oh, my God, this is awesome. Thank you so much, Seth.”

  “Anything for my girl.” He smiles.

  “I hope you thought to pack meds in case I get seasick. I’ve never been on a cruise so I have no clue.”

  “Of course, I got it all covered. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about all that. All you have to do the next three days is enjoy yourself and relax. You deserve it.”

  “You are so good to me,” I say and pull him to me so I can kiss him. Before things get too heated between us I pull away. The things this man does to me – it’s crazy. He’s like a drug and I keep coming back for more.

  We get on the ship and after they check our tickets and passports we are shown to our room. Seth booked a cabin with a balcony so we can look at the ocean at all times. It’s beautiful. I can’t believe he planned all this without me even knowing.

  We spend the first day at sea and I’m plagued by nausea and seasickness all morning. Finally by lunch time the meds are starting to kick in so I can actually enjoy myself. Seth has been my side holding my hair when I was hunched over the toilet. Now we’re sitting by the pool with drinks in our hands. I’m soaking up the sun while I’m watching a mother with her husband and two children. They look so happy. I want that too. I’m scared as hell that I’ll be a terrible mom because of the shit I went through, but I know Seth would never let that happen. We have talked a lot about the future and what we expect from it. I know how much he wants children and I want to be the one to give him that. Losing his son when he did was really hard on him and though we’ll never be able to replace him I want him to experience all the things he couldn’t back then.

  “What are you thinking about, love?” Seth never misses a beat. He always knows when I’m far off in my thoughts.

  “I see that family over there and think about how I want that too. The fear of failing will always be there but I refuse to let it stop me. I’m done being scared.”

  “We will have that, I promise. Whenever you’re ready. I can’t wait to see your belly grow with our child.”

  “Will you still love me when I look like a whale?”

  “Of course, I will. I’ll even still love you when you’re old, wrinkly and still beautiful as ever.”

  I stick my tongue out at him. The thought growing old with Seth fills me with butterflies that I never thought I’d be able to feel. He truly is my savior, my knight in shining armor. Or in his case combat boots and dog tags.

  We spend the evening having a romantic dinner on deck. When we get back to our room we make love all night long and Seth leaves me satiated as always. I fall asleep in his arms thanking the heavens above for putting this man in my life. To think I almost didn’t give us a chance, I cringe just thinking about it.

  When we go on land the next day I take in the beauty of the nature surrounding us. We are on a white sandy beach surrounded by crystal clear ocean water. It’s stunning here. If I could put up a hut here and just stay, I’d be content for the rest of my life. Just far away from everything. This place is so peaceful. I can hardly describe it with words.

  Seth and I walk around all day exploring going into little local shops. As always I’m stocked up on souvenirs. It’s a habit I picked up when I started traveling for work. Everywhere I went I’d buy something that would remind me of my time there. I have quite the collection by now and it just keeps growing bigger.

  By the time evening arrives Seth urges me to shower and dress up. I wonder what he has planned but instead of trying to figure it all out I just go with the flow. He knows what he’s doing and who am I to deny him his surprises for me? He spoils me rotten. I have no idea how I deserve such an attentive man, but I’d be damned if I ever let him go. Never again.

  I put on a red summer dress I bought before this trip. It hugs my curves in all the right places but flows around my knees. I fell in love with it the minute I saw it. I straighten my hair and pull it into a loose ponytail. I keep my makeup to a minimum. I used to put so much attention to my outer appearance but through Seth I’ve learned that sometimes less is more and he loves me no matter if I’m all dolled up or in my yoga pants with my hair up in a bun.

  I hear Seth’s breath hitch when I walk out from the bathroom.

  “You look breathtaking, Faith. I’m one lucky son of a bitch.”

  I smile at him. “That you are. But so am I.” He’s dressed in a pair of slacks and a light blue dress shirt that is unbuttoned at the top. The sleeves are rolled up and cling to his muscular arms – the arms that hold me every night and keep me safe.

  He holds out his arm for me and I take it. He leads me off the ship onto the beach. We follow a small path down to a secluded area out of sight from everyone mingling around on the beach. A table comes into view lit with candles.

  “Oh my, how did you do all this without my knowledge, Seth?” I gasp. It’s beautiful. The moon cascades a romantic feel over the dining table and the beach.

  “I’m full of surprises, my love. Let’s sit down.” He pulls out my chair for me and fills my glass with the champagne he retrieved out of the cooler on the table.

  “What did I do to deserve all this?” I ask with a bright smile. My cheeks hurt from all the smiling I’ve done over the last two days. Seth makes all my dreams come true without even knowing them.

  “Just because I want to spoil you. I promised you I’d always make you feel special and I fully intend to keep that promise.” If I didn’t have butterflies before I defi
nitely have them now. Seth is a charmer. I have to give him that.

  After we finish dinner we walk down the beach that is now deserted. Being here with Seth is all I could’ve ever hoped for and then some.

  All of a sudden, Seth stops us in our tracks. Before I know what’s happening he gets down on one knee in front of me. He pulls out a little black box and opens it. Inside of it is a beautiful princess cut diamond that is surrounded by little diamonds. It’s stunning, yet simple, just the way I like it. My hands fly up to my mouth. Oh shit.

  “Faith Livingston, I had planned to do this during dinner but my nerves got the better of me.” He pauses and grabs my hand. I’m not sure I’m ready for what is happening right now. “Faith, my love, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, inside and out. Your strength amazes me every day. I’ve never met anyone like you. I want to spend the rest of my life cherishing you, showing you how much I love you and how much you deserve this. I want to sit on our porch in a few years and watch our children running up and down the beach. Most of all, I want to spend the rest of my life by your side. There’s no place on earth I’d rather be. I have said it before but you’re the light in my darkness. My heart will be yours forever and always. I asked Aunt Martha for your hand in marriage and she approves. Faith, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  I get down on my knees with him. I take his head into my hands before I answer him. “Yes. A million times yes. I love you so much, Seth Jacobs. I want nothing more than to grow old with you. I never thought I’d find my prince, but in you I found so much more. You’re my soul mate, my better half, my everything. You complete me in a way I never thought possible. So yes, yes I’ll become Mrs. Seth Jacobs.”

  He pulls me to him and we kiss like we never kissed before. There’s so much passion and love between us. Once I was overwhelmed by the feelings for Seth, now I embrace them.

  And soon I’ll be Faith Jacobs. I can’t wait for the day he officially makes me his.

  Chapter 25

  Seth

  Faith and I are getting ready to board our plane to Kansas. She has decided that she’s ready to face her mother again and meet her little brothers Jaden and Trevor. I know this is taking a lot from her but I’m so proud of her for taking this step. I admire her strength every day.

  In the last three months since we have gotten engaged she has started seeing a therapist to help her work through all the shit she had to deal with all her life. She’s making huge progress and her nightmares have lessened significantly. She still has them every once in a while but so far I can count them on one hand.

  “Are you ready for this, Peach?” I ask her.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be. I know it’s not gonna be easy. I just need to realize it’s not my brothers’ faults that they had the childhood I should’ve had. I can’t blame them – it’s all on my mother and my father. Even if this doesn’t go well I can at least say that I tried rather than living with what ifs. I also have you by my side so what really could go wrong? I feel like I can face anything as long as I have you. I could’ve never asked for anyone better to spend the rest of my life with.” I follow her gaze down to her engagement ring. A smile spreads across her face. I internally fist bump myself – I put that smile there. Not Jordan, not Skye, not Caige, it was me. I have made it my life’s mission to keep a smile on my girls face always. She’s worth the fight we had to go through to get to this point. In a few short months she’ll officially be mine. I still can’t believe I actually let her talk me into waiting till New Year’s to get married. That’s still five months away. I’d rather marry her sooner than later. I’m not about this waiting game. Of course, I want to give her the wedding of her dreams but does it have to be so damn late?

  “What are you thinking about? You have this grouchy look on your face?” I can never hide anything from her. She sees right through me, it’s scary sometimes.

  “I’m just thinking about how I still have to wait five long months till I get to marry you. I’d rather marry you tomorrow. Hell, I’d reschedule this flight and take you to Vegas tonight.”

  “Patience, my dear soon-to-be husband. Five months is not that long. You’ll be okay, I promise.” She winks. She fucking winks at me. This woman. She’ll be the death of me. Apparently I have some weird look on my face because she busts out laughing. I can’t help but smile at the sound of her laughter. It’s the most beautiful sound in the world and I’ll never tire of hearing it.

  Finally, the plane takes off and we start our journey to Kansas. After about ten minutes in the air Faith is out cold. Here I was thinking I could possibly introduce her to the Mile High Club. Just thinking about having her up here in the air is causing my cock to spring to attention. I have to adjust myself to relieve the painful hard on that is straining against my jeans. The things the woman beside me does to me – it’s unreal. I lie back and force myself to drift off too. I have a feeling these next couple of days will be exhausting, physically and mentally for both of us. I just hope she doesn’t have a meltdown while we’re there. I hate seeing her so broken and feeling so helpless in making it better for her. If I could take all her pain away from her I would. I’d deal with her demons for her just to make her a happier person. I love Faith with everything I am. After all the mess with Krystal I never thought I’d feel this way for a woman ever again. But nothing compares to the all-consuming love I feel for Faith. She’s the reason I get up each day. She’s the air I breathe and without her I’d be nothing. I’d be a shell of myself. She makes me want to be a better person for myself and her.

  Drifting off I think back to the day when I visited Krystal a few weeks ago. After she tried to take her life she finally agreed to be admitted into a mental hospital much to the dislike of her parents. She finally got away from their grip and decided to do better for herself.

  “You look happy, Seth,” Krystal says smiling me.

  “I am happy, Krystal. How are you doing?”

  “I’m doing better. I’m just taking it one day at a time. I’m slowly starting to appreciate life again. I can’t believe I almost lost it all because of my own stupidity. Look, Seth, I’m sorry. I should’ve never put you through what I did. I realize now that we were just not meant to be together. I was trying to force something that wasn’t there. Even the whole thing with our angel, I was so desperate that I thought a baby would bring us closer again. In the end it bit me in the ass. It’s my fault he isn’t with us anymore. Even though things didn’t work out with us, I’ll never forgive myself for killing our son.”

  “Krystal, we can’t change things that happened in the past. Please find it in you to forgive yourself. I have. I forgive you and I hope you can forgive me for being a shitty husband. I tried to be good enough for you, I really did. I loved you, Krystal. Just not in the way you deserved. You were there when I needed you and I let myself be blinded. One day you’ll find the guy who’ll worship and treat you the way you deserve to be treated. I’m sorry I wasn’t him. Just focus on getting better and getting back to your old self. She’s in there. I know it.”

  “Thank you, Seth. I’ll never be able to tell you how much your forgiveness means to me. I want you to be happy and by the looks of it, you are. Your eyes tell it. She’s good for you and I’m glad you found her. I hope she can help you heal from the demons that are haunting you.”

  “She does,” I say, a smile spreading across my face.

  “I’m truly happy for you both. I should’ve never tried to stop love from happening. Thank you for coming here to see me today, Seth. It means the world to me. My parents have pretty much cut me off completely. I don’t know where I’m gonna go once I get out of here. It’s gonna be rough, but I’ll get through it.”

  “If you need anything at all, Krystal, you call me. Your parents will come back around, I’m sure.”

  “I’m not gonna count on it. It doesn’t matter. I’m tired of being dependent on them anyways. It’s time to do my own thing.”

  “I
knew the old Krystal was still in there somewhere. Okay, sweetheart, I have to go. I have some errands to run throughout the day. I’m glad you’re doing better.”

  “Thank you, Seth. For everything. We didn’t only have shitty times. I’ll always remember the good ones. Hold on tight to that girl of yours. You’ll never find that kind of love again. It literally radiates off of you. I can tell you’re eager to get back to her. Bye, Seth.”

  “See you later, Krystal.” I kiss her on the cheek and leave. I no longer feel guilty. Krystal will be okay. She’ll find the same kind of love Faith and I share one day.

  “Wake up, sleepyhead. We are about to land.” Faith’s voice pulls me out of my sleep.

  “You’re the one who fell asleep first when I really wanted to introduce you to the Mile High Club.” Her eyes go wide at my words.

  “Why didn’t you wake me?” She’s pouting. I start laughing. She’s so damn cute when she gets all upset with me.

  “I’ll make sure not to make that mistake again.”

  “You better not. Or I’ll cut you off from pussy for a week. No better yet, two weeks. No sex for you. That’ll teach ya.”

  I’m still laughing like literally tears in my eyes laughing. When it comes to sex Faith is insatiable. There’s no way she’d be able to stay abstinent for one week let alone two.

  “I think we need to get you checked out when we land. Did you just say you’d make both of us go without sex for two weeks? That’s crazy talk. You know you can’t resist my sexiness, Peach.”

  “Can too.” I know she’s catching on to her mistake knowing how crazy we both are about each other. “I can always resort back to BOB. He can give me multiple orgasms too, you know.”

  “Knife to heart, woman. You’re comparing my mad bed skills to your vibrator? I think I have to remind you just how good we are together.”

  Our little banter is interrupted by the flight attendant coming through checking if we’re all buckled up.