Taking Chances

by Melange Books, LLC

  She stopped and looked at him admiring her with his eyes. “You look pretty good naked yourself.”

  “Come here,” Kal said as he kneeled on the bed.

  She came to him and he traced his finger along her face, cupping her chin to bring her lips to his for a soul-searching kiss. He ran his fingers along her neck and down her sides.

  He reached for her breasts cupping them and sucking each one gently. She reached for him and stroked him with a slow caressing motion. Their bodies moved together in harmonious unison. He laid her down on the bed, and held himself over her as he pressed against her entrance. He teased, entering only a little and withdrawing, entering a little more and withdrawing. Shana’s body writhed below him, arching towards his rock hard shaft seeking her heat. He held back, kissed her lips and sent his tongue dancing inside her mouth, then sucking her lower lip. Her body was arching wildly toward him. He couldn’t hold back any longer. He entered her body, slowly, enjoying every minute of the entrance, and then increasing the momentum, racing to the finish. Taking them both to explosive climaxes simultaneously. Kal rolled over and pulled Shana to face him.

  “I love you, Shana,” Kal said looking into her beautiful eyes.

  “I love you, too,” Shana replied, and her eyes lit up as she spoke the words out loud for the first time in her life.

  They fell asleep in each other’s arms, both feeling completely loved and at peace with the world. At least for now.

  * * * *

  Morning arrived with Shana still wrapped in Kal’s arms. She woke up with a smile. “Good morning,” she said.

  “Good morning. What are your plans for today?”

  “I have no plans.”

  “You know, Thanksgiving is this Thursday. What will you be doing?”

  “I actually hadn’t thought about it.”

  “I’m on call during the day,” Kal said.

  “Oh,” she said, slightly disappointed.

  “Are you up for cooking dinner?”

  “I can. Will you be here for dinner?”

  “If you make it after five, I can.”

  “It’s a date,” Shana said happily.

  * * * *

  Shana cooked all day making the traditional Thanksgiving meal of turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberries, rolls, and pumpkin pie. Although she cheated on the pie and bought one already made from Coco’s. Their pies were always delicious, and probably much better than one she could make. The little local bakery, The Bake Shop, had great fresh breads so she ordered a package of dinner rolls from them.

  She’d never cooked a Thanksgiving dinner all by herself, so this was a first. The cooking channel shows ran specials on how to cook a great Thanksgiving meal so she taped them and took notes as she watched. Supposedly, these were all tricks of the trade, such as putting slices of butter under the skin of the turkey breast, adding cinnamon to the cranberry sauce and making the mashed potatoes the night before with sour cream and cream cheese.

  Tara had a great recipe for a green bean casserole she always bragged about, so Shana emailed her to get it.

  Everything went as planned and she was pleased with her cooking ability. Heck, it was totally a meat and potatoes meal, which was definitely Minnesotan so she was confident she could cook it. Hours later, it was all under control and she had the table set and the food ready when Kal arrived. Gravy was always tricky, so she was glad she’d opted to use the packages. She even got daring and mixed it in with the gravy bag that came with the turkey, along with mixing in the drippings from the turkey. The gravy actually tasted pretty good, she thought after she sampled it.

  “Smells great,” Kal said, getting a whiff of the turkey.

  “Help me a minute. Everything’s ready, we just need to put it all on the table.”

  Kal helped carry the serving dishes filled with the hot food, then they sat down and ate their mouthwatering Thanksgiving dinner.

  “Everything tastes great. I have always loved the green bean casserole. I think it is a Minnesotan thing,” Kal complimented Shana.

  “I got the recipe from my friend Tara, from Minnesota,” Shana stated.

  “It tasted exactly like the one my grandmother used to make,” Kal said. He knew at that moment he wanted to marry Shana and make the three of them a family. Kal, Shana, and Kalsha.

  After the meal was over, Kal helped Shana clear the table and load the dishwasher. Shana filled storage containers with the leftovers before they retired to the couch in front of the TV to have the pumpkin pie for dessert. Kal picked up the remote and turned the television on to watch the news but kept the volume down low.

  “Shana, I like being with you. I love making love to you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  Shana was stunned. “Are you asking me to marry you?”

  “I guess it’s kind of a pre-proposal.”

  “So you know the answer before you do the actual proposal. I get it.”

  “And your answer would be?”

  “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than spend my life with you, Kal.”

  Kal was ecstatic. They still had to have the confession talk, however he was feeling confident everything was going to work out just fine. He needed to buy an engagement ring and come up with a great proposal plan. Life was looking exceptionally well today. Kal took her hand and led her to the bedroom where they spent the night making love.

  In the morning, Kal left to make his rounds at the hospital with a turkey sandwich Shana made for him. After rounds, he drove home to see Kalsha where Sadie would be dropping her off shortly after he arrived.

  “So how was your Thanksgiving?” Sadie asked.

  “One I’ll never forget.”

  “That good, huh?” Sadie asked.

  “I want to marry her.”

  “Wow! Must’ve been some Thanksgiving dinner.”

  “Her cooking was pretty good, too,” Kal added.

  “I have to go. Mac is waiting in the car. Still have some more Black Friday sales to hit. We’ll talk later,” Sadie said.

  “Thanks, Sadie.”

  “No problem. You know we love taking care of Kalsha,” Sadie said and rushed out the door.

  Kal picked Kalsha up and smothered her with kisses. He’d missed his baby girl.

  * * * *

  Saturday night Kal picked Shana up. There were four new releases and they picked the new Mission Impossible movie. Afterwards they grabbed a late dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Cheesecake always sounded good, especially with fresh strawberries generously draping the original cheesecake and plate along with a dab of whipped cream.

  The pool in Shana’s apartment complex was empty and inviting as they drove by on their way to her apartment.

  “Too bad you don’t have a swimsuit or we could take a quick dip,” Shana said.

  “Oh, but I do.”

  “Really?”

  “Just happen to have my gym bag and I always have one in it.”

  “Want to check it out?”

  “Most definitely.”

  A few minutes later, they were walking to the pool with towels in hand. It was a beautiful, clear, slightly chilly night, and the sky was filled with stars, but the pool was heated and then of course there was the hot tub.

  Kal dove in. Shana took the steps, slowly entering the pool while he intently watched her every move. He swam up to her, pulling her to him for a deep kiss. Then he tugged on the back string of her bikini while he watched her breasts release into his eagerly waiting hands.

  Before she knew, her bikini and his swim trunks were in a pile on the side of the pool and Kal was thrusting against her pelvis and entering her primed body that matched his movements thrust for thrust. His mouth devoured hers and they climaxed with an intensity overwhelming them both.

  “Wow!” she gasped in his ear.

  “Wow is right,” Kal whispered.

  “Never did it in a pool before,” Shana said.

 
“Me either, but I think we’ll have to make a habit of it,” Kal said.

  “I agree.”

  They put their suits back on and walked back to her apartment. Shana attempted to put some clothes on after they were in her apartment, however Kal caught her naked body in his arms and carried her to the bed.

  “You didn’t think we were done, did you?” he asked.

  “I guess we’re not,” Shana said and rolled over on top of Kal.

  * * * *

  Shana was on top of the world when she walked into the hospital on Monday morning. She’d been semi-proposed to. Was that even a real word? Kal would be her husband and they would spend their lives together. She couldn’t tell anyone until he actually proposed. She wasn’t sure when it would take place, however she hoped it was soon. Her mood dropped slightly when she recalled the talk they still needed to have. Maybe it could wait until later.

  Shana walked into the main reception lobby of the hospital.

  “Good morning, Shana. How was your Thanksgiving?” the receptionist asked.

  “It was one of the best Thanksgivings I’ve ever had.”

  “Did you cook or go out for dinner?”

  “I cooked,” Shana said, not sure if she should say Kal was there or not.

  “I hope you didn’t spend it alone.”

  “I cooked dinner for Dr. Paxton.” Shana decided it should be all right since they would be getting engaged soon and everyone at the hospital would know then.

  “I know he had to work on Thanksgiving, so I’m glad he got to have a home cooked meal. Did he bring his daughter?”

  “No,” Shana said, after a short hesitation. Patients approached the desk and Shana walked away, stunned. She walked slowly back to her office, practically collapsing in her chair. Kal had a child? Why hadn’t he told her? Hadn’t he just proposed to her? Asked her to spend her life with him? She had a right to know he had a child, didn’t she? Of course she did. Didn’t he have faith in her? Didn’t he think she would accept his child? Why hadn’t he told her? They had to talk, but right now, she had work to do, so she had to get a grip and focus on her job. She would discuss this with Kal after work.

  Shana regrouped and focused on her schedule for the day. She emailed Kal stating she needed to talk to him, in person, after work. He sent her an email back saying to meet him in the parking lot when she was done. The day dragged but she made it through.

  At five, she walked out of her office, scared to death. She tried to tell herself it would be okay. There was a good reason he hadn’t told her. She walked out the door and straight to the parking lot to Kal’s car. He was standing next to it watching her and smiling. He walked towards her and took her in his arms for a hug.

  “I missed you,” he said. Then he must have noticed her serious look. “Are you okay?”

  She had to get to the point; she couldn’t take the suspense any longer. “Kal, do you have a daughter?” she asked, so nervous, she was shaking.

  Kal’s mind was racing. Someone at the hospital must have told her something. Oh, well, he would’ve had to tell her eventually anyway. He just hoped she was going to accept it well. “Yes.”

  Kal was praying she wouldn’t freak out. He was pretty sure she only knew he had a daughter and didn’t know Kalsha was her daughter, too. Because only he, Sadie and Mac knew who Kalsha’s mother was.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I wanted you to fall in love with me first. I didn’t want to scare you away because I had a child. I’m sorry.”

  “Is that why you did a pre-proposal?”

  That was good, he should’ve thought of that. “Yes.”

  “How old is she?”

  “Two.”

  “What’s her name?”

  “Kalsha,” Kal answered hoping she wouldn’t realize it was a combination of his name and hers.

  “Can I meet her?”

  “Of course. I have to pick her up at my sister, Sadie’s house. I’ll give you directions to my house and you can meet me there.”

  “Okay.” That was all she could manage to say at the moment. Kal wrote down the directions and handed them to her.

  “I’ll be there in an hour. It takes an hour with the traffic. See you there,” Kal said and got into his car.

  Shana walked to her car and got in, but was still shaking. Why, she wasn’t sure. Deep breaths, that’s what she needed. She took deep breaths and finally relaxed a little and managed to stop shaking. This was all about a child—a small child. Everything would be fine. She read the directions and started driving.

  She wasn’t sure why she was surprised when she turned into the Silverton executive neighborhood. The house was large and breathtakingly beautiful. It was a sprawling two story in a brown stone exterior with bronze double entrance doors. Massive gardens and palm trees lined the entrance along with a water fountain and stone benches. Kal was a doctor, after all, what had she expected? She sat in her car waiting for Kal to arrive, preparing herself to meet Kal’s child.

  Twenty minutes later, Kal’s car pulled up in the driveway and one of the four garage doors opened. Shana got out of her car and walked up Kal’s long driveway to face her immense fear, which consisted of meeting one very special small child. Kal’s daughter.

  Shana watched as Kal pulled a small beautiful child from her car seat and set her on the driveway facing Shana.

  “Shana, this is Kalsha,” Kal said.

  Shana walked towards them, and Kalsha walked over to meet her. She stopped and bent down to greet Kalsha. “Hello,” Shana said and held out her hands. Kalsha walked right into her arms, hugged her, and planted a big kiss on Shana’s cheek.

  Kal chuckled. “She’s very friendly.”

  “I see that.” Shana hugged the child back before releasing her.

  “Would you like to see my house? Please come in,” Kal invited. He picked up Kalsha and opened the front door to the house.

  Shana followed them inside. She stood in a long foyer reaching to the back of the house where a wall of windows looked down on the valley below and the Superstition Mountains painted a beautiful backdrop. The back room was a massive open room for the kitchen, eating area and family room which led to a stone patio, the size of her entire apartment, complete with an outdoor kitchen, pool and hot tub, landscaped perfectly with three water fountains surrounded by palm trees and desert greenery.

  “This is beautiful, Kal.” She watched the child who had blonde hair, a round face with a beautiful smile and amber brown eyes. In fact, they were the same color as Shana’s. She was mesmerized, watching the happy child sitting on the floor playing with toys, holding a baby doll. She took a seat on a couch.

  She knew Kal was watching her as she watched Kalsha. He said nothing. Her mind was reeling. Did she still want to spend her life with Kal? Could she be a mother to this child? What kind of mother would she be? Her abortion scared her, so what did that say about her, about the kind of woman she was? The kind of mother she would make? Until she knew those answers, she couldn’t be anyone’s mother. Besides, she and Kal hadn’t even discussed having children.

  Did she even want to be a mother? She actually hadn’t given it any thought, in fact, she probably had deliberately not thought about it. She loved Kal, but was she ready for this? Would she have gone out with him if she’d known? The answer was yes. She was so strongly attracted to him and she felt an unexplainable bond with Kal. She couldn’t explain what it was—it was simply there. It had felt comfortable to hold Kalsha, too. Why? Maybe because of the bond with Kal.

  “Shana?” Kal said breaking her trance-like state. He’d been watching her sitting on the couch perfectly still, staring at Kalsha. “Are you okay?”

  Shana looked at him. “This is all quite a shock.” She stood up and walked towards Kalsha. Kalsha looked up at her. For a moment, she was reminded of one of her own baby pictures. Kalsha reminded her of herself. Their colorings were the same—hair, eyes and skin. “She’s a beautiful child.” She moved to Kal
’s side. He put his arms around her and hugged her tightly, pressing her to him.

  “I love you, Shana,” he said leaning back a little to look into her face. He kissed her gently. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I wanted to, however I wanted you to fall in love with me first.”

  “I love you, Kal,” Shana said, and hugged him tightly placing her head on his shoulder. “We never talked about having children.”

  “I know. Do you want children, Shana?”

  “Yes. I do but I’m not so sure I am ready yet.”

  “I’m not so sure anyone ever truly is. It certainly changes your life. Nonetheless Kalsha is a very loving and happy child.”

  “I can see that.” Shana turned and looked at Kalsha. Unfortunately watching Kalsha made her think about her baby that never was born. Correction, her, and Kal’s baby. She wondered what their child would have looked like. Actually, it could’ve looked like Kalsha, because Kalsha resembled her own baby pictures. Tears were flooding her eyes. She wiped them away quickly. She walked towards the front door and Kal followed her. “I have to go.”

  “Shana, are you all right, maybe we should talk this out?” He came up behind her and gently massaged her tense shoulders.

  “Yes, we should, but not now. I need some time alone to sort out my feelings.”

  “Okay, if you think that’s best,” Kal said.

  “We’ll talk later.” Shana swiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks. She opened the door. “I have one question, though. Where is Kalsha’s mother?”

  Kal was afraid to let her go. He was even more afraid to answer her question, so he chose his words carefully. He didn’t want to lie to her anymore, however this was not the time for confessions. “Unfortunately, she wasn’t ready to be a mother when Kalsha was born.”

  Shana gasped, “I have to go,” and practically ran down the driveway to her car.

  Kal watched helplessly as she left, hoping everything would work out in the end. At least she seemed to accept his answer about Kalsha’s mother. He was so torn. He wanted to go after her yet he knew she needed some time alone.