“Wow. I’m sorry I didn’t place a bet on it.”
“Apparently, our new name is Seanigail.”
“That’s so stupid.”
“Or it may be the name of our love child. I keep getting the stories mixed up.”
Abby had to laugh this time. “I prefer the name William.”
“I refuse to have a love child named Billy. I’m thinking more along the lines of Geraldine.”
“As long as it doesn’t have your eyebrows, I’m okay with it.”
Sean flipped down his visor and slid open the mirror. “What’s wrong with my eyebrows?”
“They drive me crazy,” Abby said. “And that dimple. Definitely no dimple for Geraldine.”
He flipped the visor up and tilted his head toward her with a definite eyebrow lift. “She is soooo going to have the dimple.”
The sound of a car honking beside them jerked Sean into defensive mode. He immediately shifted the prosthetic fingers into an appropriate grip of the steering wheel while he placed his left hand down into the pocket of the door.
“Please tell me that you’re not about to pull a gun on your adoring fans,” Abby said sarcastically as she glanced past Sean to the car driving next to them on the highway. Several teen girls were holding their phones up to the window in the back seat and placed in the front window was a piece of paper on which was written ‘Congratulations Seanigail’.
Abby smiled and waved, then nudged Sean to do the same. His million-dollar smile eventually found his face, and he lifted the hand away from whatever he’d been grasping at in the pocket of the door.
The lane cleared up ahead of them and Sean gunned it to the next exit.
“That scared the crap out of me,” he confessed. “I’m going to have to buy another car, with tinted windows.”
“Jeez Sean. Calm down, would you?” Abby stated sarcastically in reference to Sean’s bossy statement just that morning.
“Touché Miss Ellwood. Shall I pull over now and let you propose?”
Abby shrugged back into the warm leather of the seat. “Yuck. That proposal,” she muttered.
“What? You want a redo in Wembley stadium or something? With all the money your dad has shoved at me, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Abby rolled her eyes. “Ha ha. No. That’s not it. I just don’t want to deal with the lecture. Dad’s going to sit me down and drill me with expectations and pronouncements.”
“As he should,” Sean agreed.
Abby just shrunk further into the seat.
“You know I’ll be doing the same thing for little Geraldine in about twenty-five years.”
“But what about William?” Abby pointed out. “Surely you have a proper father-son speech for him prepared as well.”
“I sure do.” He cleared his throat as he drove up to the entrance of the estate. “Dearest William. Catch yourself a wily woman with a strong heart, then follow her to the ends of the earth and back. If she kicks you to the curb, just stand back and wait until she’s ready. If she claims you back, she’s yours.”
Abby felt tears pop into her eyes as the security gates opened. Sean leaned towards Abby and revved the engine a couple times before putting it back into gear.
“And son…,” he added. “…don’t forget the condoms.”
CHAPTER NINETY-FOUR
DAD’S lecture was brief, but enlightening.
Apparently, Sean had asked Dad for his blessing on several occasions. The first being their night at the Swan Lake performance. Of course, Dad had laughed it off as a joke at the time, and adamantly refused. But Sean had been dead serious.
The next time had been over Skype while in Kenya. That time, Dad had hesitantly agreed.
The most recent request had been just before Sean downed the glass of scotch in the family room. At that point, Dad had been so sick of the drama, he’d insisted Sean get a move on or he’d set her up with Randall Steinmetz. Dad didn’t need to know that Sean had already posed the question.
Abby sat happily playing with the ring on her finger while Mom cried tears of joy into a box of tissues.
“It’s not fair,” she was saying. “All of the craziness from last night, and the extra security, and now this…,” she motioned to where Abby was sitting snugly on the couch with Sean’s arm wrapped around her. “And now I have to leave for France. Maybe I should cancel it and just stay home.”
“Mom. You have to go.”
“No. I really don’t. The others can do just fine without me.”
“You’re the leading actress. You really do have to go.”
Mom wiped more tears off her cheeks. “It’s just such terrible timing. I want to be here with you; making wedding plans, hearing about your days at the hospital.”
They continued to argue with Mom about her trip, finally convincing her that she should go, if only to connect with several wedding gown designers in Europe while there. At the thought of contributing to the wedding cause, Mom perked up, but Abby could tell she felt guilty about leaving them. So Abby spent the next two hours perusing French designers over dinner and dessert while Dad and Sean argued about timing and security logistics of a wedding.
“I like this Fabienne Alagama,” Mom said, pointing to a lacy design with an open lower back, the upper back completely covered, of course.
“I don’t know if I want everybody looking at my bony spine when I’m standing at the altar.”
“Well, maybe you should eat more then,” Mom said, pointing at the barely touched plate in front of Abby. “I’ll have Marie set up an appointment at the Paris studio. Will you be free on Wednesday for a video conference?”
“No, Mom. We have plenty of time before I have to try on wedding dresses. Let’s at least wait until my finger gets used to the weight of this rock on my finger.”
“Actually,” Sean piped in. “We’re thinking of doing it next month.”
Abby felt her head spin.
“Impossible,” Mom said. “We can’t get a gown made in a month. Besides the fact that we have to reserve the venue and plan the…”
“But if we set the date for mid-January, it might stir up some communications that could lead to insight for McCarrin’s investigative team,” Sean interrupted.
“Definitely not!” Abby stated. She wished her voice could project like Mom’s, but unfortunately it only came out as a whimper. “I will not use my wedding as a ploy for the NSA to dig up communications. Besides, Veena’s wedding is next month and she would round-kick me to my next life if I rained on her parade.”
“We could always elope,” Sean suggested, with a waggle of his infuriating eyebrow.
“Don’t you dare spout that evil word in my presence,” Mom said. Abby laughed, but she could tell that the thought of an elopement scared mom to pieces. “Abigail is my only child. This wedding will be my one chance to celebrate my princess with all the glitz and glamour she deserves. I think a May wedding would be acceptable. Of course, if timing were a consideration I would prefer October, but fall colors don’t go well with my complexion. Why couldn’t you have gotten engaged six months ago? These things take so much planning.”
Abby could tell that Mom was feigning her consternation. When Dad began grousing at her about expenses, Abby and Sean accepted that as their cue to depart from the dining room.
CHAPTER NINETY-FIVE
THEY politely slipped out of the conversation, and Abby led Sean into the hallway to say her goodbyes. But before entering the foyer, Sean spun her around and pressed her to the wall. “Come home with me tonight,” he said, leaning down, his breath warm and heavy on her skin.
“I shouldn’t.”
“Why not,” he asked, then tugged at her shirt, popping a snap open. A slight growl uttered from his throat and he pulled her hips toward him.
“Because we’re not married yet.” Abby’s voice was a whisper, but not because of the emotion warring through her. It was the feel of Sean’s body against hers, the sensations that flowed in and out with each
breath.
He lifted his head and Abby could see his eyes glinting with mischief.
Ten minutes later, Abby found herself trapped in the front seat of Sean’s car, racing off with only her purse and a fresh set of scrubs that Sean had grabbed out of her room before flinging her over his shoulder and heading out the front door.
“My dad is going to kill you,” Abby said.
“He sent me with his blessing.”
“Well, my mom isn’t going to be happy about all this.”
“She said that she wants a June baby, so we need to use protection until next fall.”
“Sean,” Abby argued. “You can’t seriously think that you can just kidnap me, and I’ll fall into your bed.”
“No?” he smirked. “Do you care to place a wager on that statement?”
“What’s gotten into you?” Abby asked. He was a crazy man.
He reached down and lifted her hand from her lap. “This ring. What it represents, that’s what’s gotten into me. Knowing that you’ve agreed to be in my world forever. Even through my mistakes and my bullish attitude. That’s what’s gotten into me. Your beautiful face, your gorgeous… well, the rest of you as well. That’s what’s gotten into me.”
Abby’s smile betrayed her. She tried to force it back into an angry frown, but the words coming from Sean’s mouth disintegrated any frustration she’d been feeling about his rude caveman actions.
“Where are we going anyway?”
“My apartment.”
“Does it have a moat and defensive fortifications? Are you about to stick me in the tower and have your way with me? Because I’m no damsel in distress, you know that, right?”
“You’re annoyingly perceptive, to say the least. And I’m well aware of your damsel in distress situation. So, yes, to each question but the last.”
“Well, I hope you have a decent bathtub in your tower, because I’m still covered in hospital yuck and that thousand-calorie meatloaf Mom forced me to eat.”
“I’ve got something even better.”
Abby decided not to ask. She simply watched for the next ten minutes as Sean maneuvered the car towards Riverside. He slowed as the car approached one of the new condominiums overlooking the river. A gate automatically opened, and he drove his car in the garage to the parking spot designated for his car.
“You ready to enter the castle?” Sean asked with a laugh.
Abby rolled her eyes and didn’t bother waiting for him to come around the car to open the door for her. At this point, she didn’t want to deal with his manly rituals. If anything, she needed to take him down a notch.
CHAPTER NINETY-SIX
FROM the garage, they entered an elaborate three-story lobby, with floor to ceiling windows that overlooked a view of the river. A waterfall streamed gracefully from an opening on the third level and flowed down to a body of water in the lobby, from there, the stream flowed under the windows and edged around the pool area outside, in what seemed like an endless current towards the river. “There’s the moat,” Sean announced snidely. “Now up to the tower.”
If there hadn’t been several residents hanging out in the lobby, Abby would have punched him right there, but she needed to keep up appearances. Especially since it was obvious that one of the couples recognized them off the bat. She could tell by the wide eyes and quick reach for a cell phone. Fortunately, the man had the good sense to shake his head in objection. The woman was clearly disappointed, but Abby knew that all of the woman’s girlfriends would hear about the Seanigail spotting within the hour.
They entered an elegant elevator and Sean pushed the button marked 30.
“Wow,” Abby remarked. “I guess I was right about the tower too.”
“Yes, about everything but the damsel in distress factor.”
“Do I look distressed to you?” Abby said, placing a hand on her hip and sticking her lower lip out.
“I’m about to distress you.” Sean’s eyes were hungry, and Abby could feel the heat rising to her face.
He approached her, but Abby held a hand out in defense. “Oh no,” she said. “You are not going all fifty shades on me. I refuse to have sexual relations in an elevator.”
Sean lifted his hands in surrender and leaned against the far wall. Abby could tell he was fighting for patience. She tried not to look any lower than his belt.
When they arrived at his floor, Sean took her hand and led her into his apartment. “I’m done talking,” he said, reaching down and pulling her hips to his own as he devoured her with his mouth.
Abby’s body responded with the same fury, but thoughts of all the hospital germs taking up residence on her skin were quenching her amorous thoughts.
“I need a shower,” she reminded him. “And don’t I get a tour or something?”
“Living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom, bedroom. Tada.” Sean said as he swiftly pointed towards various locations of the condo, then focused back on her. “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?”
“Serves you right… caveman,” Abby said as she glanced around the ostentatious apartment. “Why have you never mentioned this place?” She pulled away from him walked to the windows that led to a balcony overlooking the city across the river. “This is unbelievable. I can practically see Georgia from here.”
Sean stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. His lips once again found her neck and Abby smiled. “You said you had something better than a bath?” Abby asked.
“C’mon,” he said, lifting his head and pulling at her wrist. “I’ll show you.”
He led Abby to a massive bathroom with detailed tile work, opulent lighting, and a tub that looked like it should be displayed in a magazine. She ran her fingers along the edge of the jacuzzi, feeling its smooth marble surface under her fingertips.
Sean reached around and snapped open the front of her shirt, but Abby stepped forward, out of his arms. “I refuse to be taken advantage of until I’m fully cleansed of filth.” She said.
“It didn’t bother you ten months ago,” he muttered, then leaned back heavily onto the bathroom counter. She noted the grainy lilt of his voice, not sure if it was frustration or anger.
Abby remembered the house in Kenya, how they’d come in from picking weeds in the garden. They were both sweaty and dirty, but they’d still managed to fall into each other’s arms for hours. He was right. It hadn’t bothered her then, but that had been another world, one in which she’d felt freer and less inhibited. Now she was once again someone new; he needed to learn who she was, and he needed to respect that.
Sean’s face set into a frown, and he pushed away from the counter as he pressed a button on the side of his wrist and wiggled his arm out of the prosthesis. Setting it next to the sink, he rubbed at the angry red lines covering the side of his hand.
“Go ahead,” he said, the reflection of his dark eyes in the mirror watched her intently, glinting with something she didn’t recognize. It looked like she would have to learn his new self as well. Apparently, he wasn’t planning on leaving the bathroom anytime soon.
Abby began to take her top off and wondered if Sean would take that as a hint, but he only shifted towards the bathtub and turned on the water. Then, he once again settled himself at the sink, his eyes focused on her. With a deep breath, Abby removed her clothing. She could feel the red burn of her skin, not from embarrassment, but from memories of what his body had done to hers so many months ago.
After checking the temperature of the water, Abby let Sean help her into the tub and sank deep in the warm bath. “Feeling better now?” he asked.
With a nod of her head, Abby acknowledged the fact that the tub met every need.
“Good.” He watched her for several more moments, then sighed with a smile and left her to her bath.
She sank deeper into the water and thought about this new world they’d been given. Abby laughed at herself for placing their various lives into categories. It was like a set of Matryoshka dolls, all fitting
inside each other. Each time one is opened, you discover a new one inside.
CHAPTER NINETY-SEVEN
TWO hours later, Abby joined Sean in the living room where he was standing at the floor to ceiling windows, overlooking the river. She slid into his arms where he held her, pressing a kiss into her temple.
“How do you afford all this?” she asked.
“You don’t want to know.”
“Yes, Sean. I do.”
Sean stepped away with a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. It took him several minutes to put the words together, but Abby needed to hear it, so she combed out her hair and waited.
“My current work with several departments of the government go beyond my protective services for your dad. I have knowledge in more than a few areas of which the United States has high stakes.”
“You’re blackmailing the government?” Abby asked, shocked enough to turn and look into his face over her shoulder. But she knew it was a mistake as soon as she saw his dark eyes.
“Not even close,” he said, stepping forward and tracing his thumb along the edge of her towel. “They need the information in my brain, and I sell it to them. Easy as that.”
“It seems a little sketchy to me.”
“It’s part of the political landscape,” he mumbled into her ear. His hands lifted the towel and caressed the skin of her hips. “You’ve been very close to having your brain picked as well. Let’s just say that the buck stops at your dad’s doorstep.”
At that, Abby spun around slapped his hand away. “What are you saying?”
“Are you sure you want to hear this?” Sean placed his palms against the glass window on either side of her head, his eyes intense and probing. “Because once you know, I can’t take it back. It will always be in that perplexed brain of yours.” His right hand left the glass and traced the worry line that had surely etched itself on her forehead.
“I don’t want to hear it,” she confessed. “But I need to.”
Given New Worlds Page 33