A Couple of Forevers (This Time Forever Book 2)

by Adrienne Williams

  They said their good-byes, and just as Renee was heading into the kitchen to cook dinner, Elliott entered the house through the garage. He’d been out running errands and visiting with Matt at his office while Renee and Kim had been out with the twins. “Hey, babe,” he said as he gave her a lips a soft kiss. “You and Kim just getting back? I saw her walking across the street when I was pulling into the driveway.”

  “No, we’ve been back for a while. She was here visiting for a bit before Robert gets home. Did you get the paperwork started for your next case? How’s Matt?”

  Daniel had to contact Elliott regarding a client who was involved in a contractual dispute. The client specifically wanted Elliott to handle his case, so he went into his office briefly to meet with the client. “Yes. The case is really very straightforward and will be easy to prove. I explained to him that Daniel is my associate and will be in the office while I’m out, but he insisted on having me represent him. Matt’s doing great. He’s been busy. He’ll probably call soon. He wants to spend some time with Noah and Noelle.”

  Renee said, “I’m sure with all the press you’ve been getting lately, he feels more confident that you will win this for him, and you will.” She was getting ready to give him a quick peck on the cheek, but the twins woke up and they went in to attend to them.

  “Hey, pretty baby,” Elliott cooed as retrieved Noelle from her crib. He set about to cleaning her up while Renee did the same for Noah.

  After they fed and played with the twins, Renee and Elliott finished making dinner for themselves. After eating and cleaning the kitchen, they took Noah and Noelle outside with them. While the babies were playing, Renee said, “Kim asked me if you are going to run for governor. Have you given it more consideration?”

  Noah had rolled himself onto his back and Elliott was tickling his feet, causing the baby to squeal with laughter. “I have given it more thought. I want to know what you think, though. I really want you to be honest with me.”

  “You would be great, Elliott. I know how much you care about people and how important it is to you to see that everyone is treated fairly. I have seen how hard you work to turn things around when they are wrong, and I have seen you be unrelenting when certain people or groups of people take unfair advantage of others. You have a great head for business and balancing budgets. I know you would be so great at this, and I would stand beside you all the way. I want you to do this, Elliott.”

  A cool breeze stirred the leaves on the large peppermint tree. The sun was starting to set and the sky was vividly streaked with shades of yellow, orange and red. Elliott observed the way Renee shivered as tiny chill bumps covered her arms. She picked Noah up and kissed his chubby little face and nestled him close to her chest.

  “Looks like we need to get inside before it gets any colder,” he said as he scooped Noelle into his arms. She giggled and surprised them by saying “Da-da.” Elliott looked at Renee in surprise, and Renee smiled and gave them both a kiss.

  “Yes, baby, Da-da,” Elliott beamed as he covered her face in kisses. “Da-da loves you so much.”

  After the babies had been put to bed, Renee went into her office and reviewed the spreadsheets that Genie had sent to her. She had been about to call her when she noticed how late it would be in New York. She closed out the programs on her laptop and returned Matt’s phone call. “Yes, tomorrow evening will be fine. OK, we’ll see you then.” She had been standing by the window with her back to the door, so she didn’t know that Elliott had been standing there watching her while she had been on the phone.

  “I didn’t know you were standing there, babe. I was just finishing up in here.” Elliott stood there for a moment, his eyes sweeping over Renee’s soft facial features. She was wearing a sleeveless shirt that revealed her toned, sexy arms, and medium-wash jeans that hugged her curvaceous body in all the right places. Her hair was stacked high on her head in a messy bun. She had slipped off the sandals that she had been wearing and her neatly manicured toes sank into the plush carpet. She felt a warm flush all over at Elliott’s intense gaze.

  He took a couple of long strides over to her desk and sat in her chair. She went and sat in the chair on the other side of her desk. “I know that you weren’t completely honest earlier when I asked you how you felt about me running for governor.” He saw her blink and quickly glance away from him.” She started to speak, but he continued.

  “Just listen to what I want to say to you, baby. I’m not going to run. While being governor would bring about the opportunity to be in a position to address things that need to be fixed, it also exposes our family to the public too much. I can still be an effective advocate. I’m in the process of bringing on attorneys who handle the kinds of cases that I just dealt with. I’ve enjoyed being able to have a firm that handles matters that do not attract a lot of unwanted attention for high-profile clients. It has allowed me to have a very high level of success while keeping my profile low. I’m not willing to put my family through the whole campaign process. You’ve seen how it can be. I want to spend time with you and the kids. I want to be able to go places whenever we want to go. I love our life the way it is right here and now. I know that you love our life, too. I know that you would support me if I decided to go for it. But, I also know that you love the life that we have as much as I do, which is how I know that you really don’t want me to run.”

  Renee sat there for a bit, collecting her thoughts. “I want you to pursue your goals, Elliott. I do want our family to spend as much time together as possible, but we’re strong enough to handle whatever comes at us. We’ve more than proven that. We would all do whatever it takes to help you get to where you want to be . . .”

  Elliott cut in. “And where I want to be is with my family.” He leaned forward in the chair and narrowed his eyes at her a bit. “Well, since that’s settled, there is one other thing we need to discuss.” He moistened his lips and gave her a cocky smirk. “Seems that since you weren’t completely honest with me earlier, there needs to be some sort of consequence. What do you think that consequence should be, Renee?”

  Renee reached under the desk to retrieve the sandals that she had slipped off her feet earlier. When she leaned over, Elliott was blessed with a glorious view of her breasts. When she sat back in her chair, she sat back, smiled, and said, “Hmmm, why do I already feel like you’ve already figured out what my consequence will be? I would imagine that you have a whole bunch of consequences already tucked away, and you will use them at any chance you get. Am I correct in that statement?” She stood up and started toward the door. Elliott was right behind her.

  “Yes, you are correct.” She paused at the doorway with her back to him. “You have racked up two consequences tonight. First, you weren’t completely honest in your answer to me, and second instead of answering my question about consequences, you asked me a question.” He brought his large hand around to her stomach and pulled her so that her back was pressing into him. He whispered huskily in her ear, “Just be ready for what I’m going to give you when you get in bed tonight.” Renee shivered as he nibbled and kissed the sensitive areas of her neck.

  ~~~~

  The following morning, Matt and Sonya sat in Renee’s office playing with the twins. “Come on little man,” Matt coaxed Noah. Noah was holding onto the edge of a table and looked quite determined to get over to his big brother. Noelle was standing on the other side of the table, laughing and clapping her hands, as if cheering Noah to go ahead and take that step.

  Sonya said to Renee, “I bet before the end of the week, they are going to be walking.” She went over to Noelle to see if she could get her to take some steps.

  Renee was in the kitchen putting dishes into the dishwasher. When she finished, she went into her office. She asked, “Have either of you seen or talked to Kayla? I’ve tried to call her a few times before she’s scheduled to go back to work, but I keep getting her voice mail.”

  Matt and Sonya exchanged brief glances. The exchange was not lo
st on Renee. Matt went over to Noelle and scooped her up, planting kisses all over her face. “Are you going to walk before your brother over there? I think you are.”

  Renee picked Noelle up and said, “Okay, you two little munchkins, in your play area you go so I can get some things done before we go to grandma Lena’s.” She and Sonya placed the twins in the play area that Renee had temporarily set up in her office.

  After the twins were settled in and playing, Renee asked again, “Alright, what’s going on. Is something going on with Kayla that I need to know about, or do I just need to go over there. It’s not like her to not return calls. Especially when she had asked me to call her in the first place. So, what’s going on?”

  “Mom,” Matt said. She knows she needs to call you, and we thought she had already.” He paused and then continued. “She decided to go back to the office a few days early just to get a jump on some things. You might have better luck seeing her at the office.”

  Sonya seemed to be somewhat fidgety. She said, “Yeah, she has been busy. She’d been checking her emails and decided it would just be best to go ahead and take care of some things before she was scheduled to return.”

  Renee relaxed a bit, but still felt that they weren’t telling her everything. “Okay, well, I’ll try her again later. I’d better get a move on. I’m scheduled to look at the salon space I’m interested in soon, so I should pack up the kids and head on over to Lena’s now.”

  Matt said, “We’ll help you get them in the car.”

  After they got the kids in their car seats, Renee said her good-byes to Matt and Sonya. Matt was scheduled to be in New York for a few days for business. “Have a safe trip. We’ll plan a get-together when you return. Liza and E will be here and EJ and Mariah are coming with them.”

  They got into their respective cars and went about their planned activities.

  Renee was very impressed with the building that she was considering for her salon. The agent that she had spoken with had taken everything that she said that she needed and wanted into consideration. The location was in a scenic area that was very lush. The feel of the neighborhood was residential, but it was considered a business area. Renee told the agent that she definitely wanted to consider leasing the building. She explained that she needed to do a few things, but that she would be in contact with her the following day to make the offer.

  After her meeting with the agent, Renee decided that instead of going directly to pick up the kids from Lena and Ben, she would stop by Kayla’s office. Renee just wanted to make sure that she was okay.

  Renee took the elevators to the 30th floor in the modern high-rise building where Kayla worked. As she stepped into the elegantly decorated reception area, she was greeted by Megan, the friendly young administrative assistant. “Yes, Kayla just wrapped up her meeting with Mr. Steele. We sure do hate to see her leave this office, but she is really looking forward to going back to New York. The senior executive position is absolutely perfect fit for her. Would you like for me to let her know you are here.”

  Renee didn’t let the shock of what Megan had just told her register on her face. “No, I just wanted to surprise her. I’ll just see myself in. Thanks.” With that, Renee walked up the hallway to Kayla’s office. She knocked lightly on the door before entering.

  Chapter 14

  Kayla turned away from the window to see her mother entering her office. They were both silent for a moment, and then, the tears that had been stinging Kayla’s eyes slid down her cheeks.

  Renee walked over to Kayla and pulled her into a hug. “It’s okay, baby. Whatever it is, it’s okay.”

  Kayla let her tears flow freely while Renee held her. When she was able, she sat in her chair, and Renee sat across from her.

  Kayla told Renee that things with Mik had finally come to a head. She had tried talking to him. She told him that she wanted to find a way to come to a compromise when would be a good time to marry and start a family. “He had no intention of ever compromising with me. He just expected me to give in and give up everything. There was no reasoning with him,” she told Renee.

  Kayla continued, “I went to his office last Saturday. I knew he had a heavy patient load that day, so I picked up some lunch for him. His favorite deli. When I pulled into the lot, I noticed Nastia’s car was there and I thought that was kind of weird, but I didn’t think too much of it.” Dr. Nastia Sokolov was Mik’s new associate.

  Renee said, “I thought they were alternating Saturdays. Did they schedule more patient’s than one doctor could handle?”

  Kayla took in a deep breath and released it. “Mik had given me a key to the private entry. I just really wanted to try to smooth things over because the night before was really rough. When I walked in, she was there with him.”

  “Oh, Kayla, I’m so sorry, honey,” Renee said. Now she understood why she hadn’t heard from her since she last kept Noah and Noelle. Renee continued, “I know there is nothing that I can say that will make it any better, but I will say this. He’s the loser. You’re beautiful, smart, independent, and a great cook to boot.” This made Kayla smile.

  Renee continued, “You also have options. You don’t have to go back to New York. You could stay here and sort things through. Give yourself time to think about what you really want to do. You know we’re all here for you.”

  “I know, Mom. But I really feel that moving back there will be best for me professionally and personally. I’m really lucky to get this opportunity. It is everything I have worked for and I need and want to do this. I want to prove to myself that I can do this.”

  Renee said, “I know you can do it, and I know that you will do it.” Renee tried unsuccessfully to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. “We’ll just miss you so much. This will be the first time you’ve actually lived more than a short distance.”

  Kayla drew in a ragged breath and said, “I know. It feels so weird to me too, but you know we’ll talk every day and there’s Skype. And of course there’s airplanes, so we can always visit.”

  They talked for quite a while longer. Renee suggested that Kay speak with Lena and Ben about staying at their beach house. “No one is staying there now since Matt and Sonya have moved out. Maybe call or give them a visit. They’ve been worried about you, too.”

  Kayla breathed a sigh of relief. “I will stop by and see them today. I’ve missed them, too, but everything has been so bad lately, I just didn’t have it in me to face them. I know Dad is going to be upset with me. I know that he didn’t really care for Mik, and now this has happened.”

  Renee stood up to leave. “They love you so much, Kayla. There isn’t anything they wouldn’t do to help you. As for Elliott, he is not going to be upset with you. He just wants what is best for you. You know, it’s funny how sometimes women can tell when other women don’t have good intentions? Well, the same must hold true for men. Seems like they have the same ability to read other men. Your dad must’ve sensed something about Mik that put him off.”

  After they hugged, Renee left Kayla’s office and drove home. Elliott had already picked the twins up and was in the living room on the floor playing with them. Noelle was trying to feed him dried cereal. Noah was playing a box as if it were a drum. When he saw Renee come in he reached his arms for her and said, “Mom-eeee.”

  She sat with Elliott on the floor and took Noah. “Hey sweet baby,” she said as she kissed his face. Noelle inched her way over to Renee and gave her a kiss. “Oh, my goodness. Such sweet babies. Promise Mommy and Daddy you won’t grow up and leave us.” Noelle and Noah squealed with laughter, while Elliott looked confused.

  “Renee, what are you talking about? Who is growing up and leaving us?” No sooner than he had asked the question, the answer had registered in his mind.

  Renee told Elliott what happened with Kayla and Mik. “I don’t want her to go, but she’s made her mind up. Her company has made her an excellent offer to take charge of the New York office and she isn’t about to pass that up. Ma
ybe this whole thing was meant to happen. She’s hurting because of what Mik did. I do agree that she needs to get away, but I wish it wasn’t so far away. I do understand, though.”

  Elliott let out a big sigh and moved up to the sofa. “I’ll go see her tomorrow. I know I won’t be able to change her mind, but I want her to know that I’m here and will help her in any way that I can. And damn him for doing that to her, but you know what, babe, he’s a complete idiot and he’ll find that out real soon.”

  The kids were getting cranky and needed to be fed, so Renee fed them their dinner, bathed them, and put them to bed.

  Later that night, Elliott and Renee were sitting out on the balcony off their bedroom. The air had turned cool and they sat huddled together in the oversize lounger. The sky was ink-black and the stars were glistening and bright. Elliott said, “We didn’t get a chance to talk about the salon space you saw today. Did you like it?”

  “Yes, it’s very nice and the location is perfect.” She described that the location has a residential feel and would require very little renovation. “I’m going to contact the leasing agent tomorrow so that we can get the paperwork started. Then, I need to get in touch with contractors so the whole process can begin.”

  Elliott could see that she was excited to start moving forward with the Beverly Hills salon. “So, it sounds like things will move along pretty quickly once the contractor gets started.” Trying to keep his tone light, he continued, “What will your role be once the salons here are completed?”

  “It will be the same as in New York. I will still be in charge of managing the accounting, marketing, and R&D. I will need to make visits to the salons to make sure that everything is running properly. Speaking of which, I need to start putting out feelers for certified natural hair care professionals, aestheticians, and massage therapists. Oh, did I also mention that I’m going to be on channel 8’s Good Morning Show next Friday?”