Very carefully, I open the gift. Inside is a photo album. It’s not an ordinary photo album. It has thick cardboard pages and each page has a photo slid inside. The very first photo is one of her as a very little girl. Each page I turn she progresses in age. Many of these photos, I’ve never seen before.
It brings a smile to my face to see how she’s changed over the decades. There’s even a photo of her all decked out in a seventies get up, she was a total flower child. The very last page shuts down my smile. In her beautiful handwriting is a letter written on the inside back cover. Every word I read tears my heart to shreds once again.
Shay,
Always remember how much I love you and always will. And even though I can’t comprehend it, God loves you more. There is no distance – one block, or heaven, or the whole earth, that could make me love you less. Remember we will be together for eternity.
Love,
Mom
She had no idea that when she wrote those words, just how true they would be. She’s right, there is no distance, not even heaven. We will be together for eternity. Until I can see her again with my own eyes, I will keep her words and her memories locked safely in my heart forever.
I hug the album to my chest and lay on her bed. I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I know I feel the mattress dip. Still half asleep, I envision my mother sitting on the bed beside me, running her fingers through my hair like she always did when I was a little girl.
When I fully wake up, I realize that it’s not my mother, but Adrian. I would have loved nothing more for it to be true that it was my mother, but it still brings a smile to my face that it’s Adrian. He’s really back in my life again. I never imagined that would ever be true.
“What do you have there?” he asks in a gentle voice, pointing to the photo album.
“It’s a gift from my mother. I found it in her closet while I was packing up some of her things.”
“That’s right, your birthday is Saturday. Would you like to do anything special for your birthday?” he asks. I’m not feeling in the celebrating mood. Reading my mood, he tucks my hair behind my ear and says, “How about a nice quiet evening in? I can cook you a special dinner, anything you want and I’ll even bake you a cake.”
I look at him strangely. Did he really just say that he’ll bake me a cake? Maybe he meant he’d have his mother bake me a cake.
“Don’t look at me like that, I can bake. Alright, then that’s the plan. I’m going to cook us a nice quiet dinner and bake you a birthday cake, from scratch,” he adds.
“Alright, you’re on,” I tell him.
Chapter 10
Adrian
I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking by offering to bake her a cake and from scratch, no less. I can’t bake. I think I’ll surprise her and invite my family over for dinner. I know she’s not up to going out and celebrating, but I just know she’ll enjoy a night in with family. Not only do I have to bake the damn cake, but I have no idea what to cook for dinner. I dig out my cell phone and call Amelia for help.
“What’s up, bro?” she asks.
“This Saturday is Shay’s birthday. I told her I’d cook her dinner and make her a cake from scratch. Do you have any ideas for something easy I can cook for dinner? Oh, and I’d like you, Kyle, and Noah to come too. I’m going to invite the whole family.”
“You can make a lasagna in the crock pot. It’s super easy and it takes no time to put together at all. It’s a fix it and forget it kind of meal,” she says.
She makes it sound so easy.
“Lasagna, you say. Do I need to cook some sort of meat for that?” I ask her.
I know if I play dumb she’ll offer to cook it.
“Forget it, I’ll cook it and bring it over. You’re still in charge of the cake though. I can’t wait to see how that turns out. We’ll see you Saturday,” she says laughing and hangs up.
Score, I knew I could get her to cook it.
I call the rest of my family and arrange for them all to come to dinner. No one else volunteered to make anything, especially the cake, so I guess that’s my job.
Saturday morning, I have all the ingredients laid out on the counter and I guess it’s now or never time. It’s time to man up and bake a cake. I follow the recipe exactly. I even looked up what all those crazy abbreviations mean. I put it in the oven with high hopes and set the timer with a smile.
When the timer goes off, I open the oven door, but what I see inside isn’t a masterpiece. I don’t quite know what happened, but it looks more like the leaning tower of Pisa than an actual cake. There’s nothing I can do about it now. I even outdid myself and made homemade buttercream frosting. I just pile a few extra dollops where the cake isn’t even, smooth it all over and voila, perfection. It looks pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. I don’t know how good it tastes, but I didn’t say anything about it tasting good, I just said I’d make it.
Shay went back to her condo to get a few things and bring them back to my house. She stays here for the most part. I should talk to her about considering selling her condo and moving in with me permanently.
My family starts to arrive and soon my house is filled. The two little kids are running around shrieking and giggling. Asher chases Abbey around while Willow, who is as big as a house pregnant, sits on the couch. My parents are playing hide and go seek with Noah and it’s the cutest thing I’ve seen in a long time. Seeing my parents play with their grandchildren is such a nice sight to see. For an instant though, I feel jealousy creeping up and wish that the child Shay and I created, would have survived and could have known the wonderful people that I call family. Max and Chloe look exceptionally cozy, as she sits on his lap at the kitchen table. Ava and Aiden are talking lawyer crap at the other end of the table, while Amelia and Kyle are in the kitchen dealing with the crock pot.
“What the fuck is that?” Asher asks as he stops chasing Abbey and looks at the cake on the island.
“What the fuck is what? That’s a cake, jack wagon. What the fuck do you think it is?” I reply.
“Boys, language!” my mother says, making big eyes at Abbey and Noah.
“You’re going to actually show that to Shay and serve it?” he asks, pissing me off in the process.
“Yeah, that took me all day to bake. What’s wrong with it? It looks like a piece of art to me.”
“It looks like a piece of shit to me,” he says.
Just then I hear a key in the door. Shay’s home. We all stand and yell surprise at her. She loves surprises, so it’s not a surprise to me to see a big huge smile on her face. With how she’s been feeling lately, I’m glad we can put that smile there.
We all gather at the table and dig into the lasagna Amelia made.
Shay has a surprised look on her face and says, “This is really good. You did a good job on this.”
Amelia’s fork falls to her plate with a clang, as she gives me the evil eye.
“I’ll be honest, I didn’t cook the lasagna. Amelia did. But, I did bake you your cake,” I tell her, hoping that will impress her.
“Well, Amelia this is absolutely fabulous. I’m sure your cake will be delicious, babe,” she says, winking at me.
“I’m not eating that piece of sh… cake,” Asher says, looking at mom.
I throw my napkin at him and get up to go get the cake. I set it in front of Shay and light three candles. I light one for the past, one for the present, and one for the future, for our future together. She blows out the candles and dishes out the cake. No one takes a bite. Everyone’s forks hang precariously over their piece of cake, as they all look at one another daring each other to take the first bite.
“Oh for crying out loud, I’ll take the first bite,” Shay says and digs her fork into the cake.
Well, it looks moist and delicious. Let’s see how it tastes. She takes a bite, and well, I can tell she’s trying to make it seem like it’s good.
“Nasty, Right?” Asher asks.
“Um, ba
be did you add sugar in here?” she asks, swallowing hard putting her fork down.
“Yes, of course, I put sugar in it. See, it’s right here…” I start to say as I pick up the container that I just now notice says ‘salt.' “Fuck, I tried so hard too.”
“That’s alright, dear. One of my gifts to Shay is that I baked her a cake. When your sister told me you were doing it from scratch, I went right into my kitchen and baked her this one,” my mother says.
She pulls out a box and uncovers the most beautiful cake. Fuck, I’m an idiot. I can’t even bake her a cake right. Thank God for my mom though.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Asher says.
Everyone digs into my mom’s cake. After everyone is done, I hand Shay one of the gifts. My whole family brought her birthday gifts. She opens each one and loves every minute of it. Lastly, I hand her my gift. She takes the small square box and opens it carefully. Her eyes light up instantly. But, I don’t think she realizes the significance of the gift.
Shay
I was not expecting all of Adrian’s family to be here, but I couldn’t ask for a better birthday gift. The meal was perfect, and even though Adrian messed up the cake, it was the thought that mattered and that was perfect. I’m shocked at all the gifts. I just love what Adrian got me too. It’s a stunning platinum necklace with a single, brilliant, teardrop shaped blue stone set in a simple three-pronged setting. It’s absolutely beautiful. I put it on, then help clear the dishes from the table.
As I stand at the sink rinsing off dishes, Adrian presses his body against the back of mine. An instant smile forms on my lips.
“Do you like your gift, Doll?” he asks.
“I do, thank you, it’s beautiful,” I reply.
“Do you realize what it stands for?” he asks.
I hadn’t thought that there was a meaning behind it. I just thought it was a beautiful piece of jewelry.
“This is a sapphire. This is the birthstone for the month of September. I know our baby would have been born in a different month had they gone full term, but they were born in my eyes in September,” he says cautiously.
Instantly it brings hot tears to my eyes. They spill over in waves. I’ve cried so many tears these past few weeks, but nothing like these. I can feel my dinner unsettling in my stomach and my heart suddenly feels empty. I never even thought about our baby being born, and the fact that he or she actually was born in September. I only ever thought of it being a miscarriage. I drop the dish I’m holding in the sink and run to the bathroom before anyone can see what I look like.
“What did you say to her?” I hear Ava ask angrily, as she comes in the kitchen.
“I didn’t say anything. It’s the gift that I gave her. I’m a fucking idiot. I shouldn’t have given that to her. Or, at least, I should have given it to her in private,” I hear him reply on the other side of the bathroom door.
“What did you give her that would bring her to tears and have that kind of look on her face?” she questions.
“The necklace I gave her, it’s the birthstone of the baby we lost,” he tells her in a lowered voice.
“Oh, Adrian, that’s such a sweet gift, really it is. Let me go talk to her,” Ava says, then I hear a soft knock on the bathroom door. “Shay, honey, open up, let me in,” she says in a gentle voice.
I wipe my eyes and nose on a tissue, then let her in. Of all the people here, she’s the last person I expected would come and talk to me. I wish no one would talk to me. It just caught me off guard. I would’ve been fine in a few more minutes. I didn’t mean to make a scene at my own birthday party. I open the door and let her in.
“Are you alright?” she asks concerned.
“Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make a scene. Adrian’s gift was just so sweet and I didn’t even think that it had a special meaning behind the stone. I do love it so much. He doesn’t think I’m upset about giving it to me, does he?” I ask.
“He’s pretty worried about it. Let’s get you all cleaned up and back to your party,” she says, getting my make-up bag. She brushes on some blush and hands me some lip gloss. “There, good as new,” she says.
She opens the door and the first face I see leaning against the wall is Adrian. Ava gives him a smile, then heads back into the family room.
“Doll, I’m so sorry…” he begins to say.
I don’t even let him finish. I kiss him on the lips and say everything I have to say in one simple, little, hot kiss. His arm snakes around my back pulling me close. I pull away, grab the pendant between my fingers and smile at him.
No one mentioned the crying outburst. The rest of the evening is spent playing with Adrian’s niece and nephew. Everyone wished me a happy birthday and gave me a hug as they left. Little Noah was passed out over Kyle’s shoulder, sleeping like an angel. Abbey was cradled in Asher’s arms, passed out as well.
As I closed the front door and turn around, I bump right into Adrian. Again, without saying a word, he grabs my hand and leads me to his bedroom.
Set out on the dresser and nightstands are several lit candles. He turns me around and kisses me. It starts out slow and sensual, then it quickly turns hungry and fierce. We each fumble quickly for each other’s clothes, tossing them haphazardly on the floor. The flicker of a candle catches my necklace and sparkles. He lays me down on the bed and continues to kiss me like we haven’t kissed in years, which is partly true. We have so much time to make up for. His hands are wild on my body, touching and kneading, they head downward and he slips his fingers inside and rubs that sensitive spot with his finger.
He quickly turns me over on all fours and thrusts inside me as I scream with pleasure. He rides me hard and fast sending waves of erotic pleasure coursing through my body. Then all you hear is what sounds like the crack of a whip as his hand slaps my ass so hard, the vibration from it alone to my core sends me over the edge and I release into a powerful orgasm.
He slams into me again, as he again slaps my ass so hard I’m sure there will be a bruise or two in the morning. The heat where his hand just left feels so damn good, I crave more. And he doesn’t disappoint, I don’t have to wait long, he again smacks my ass on the other cheek this time, then rubs the spot ever so softly. He stills over top of me, as he moans and releases inside me.
It doesn’t go unnoticed that each and every time we’ve made love, we’ve never used protection.
Chapter 11
Adrian
At three in the morning the phone rings, waking me from a dream that I really would have liked to continue. Shay is warm and snuggled up to my side. I reach for my phone and wonder who in the hell is calling this early in the morning.
“Hello,” I say with my eyes still closed.
“Willow’s in labor, we’re at the hospital, it shouldn’t be much longer,” Asher says frantically.
“It’s three o’clock in the morning,” I say, wondering what he wants me to do about it.
“Get your ass down here! You’re going to have a new niece or nephew here shortly,” he says and hangs up.
“Who was that, babe?” Shay asks.
“Asher. He said Willow’s in labor and he wants me to come to the hospital. What exactly am I supposed to go down there and do?”
“He’s excited for the birth of his second child and he wants to share that with you. You should go,” she tells me.
I groan and reluctantly get dressed.
“You should come with me,” I tell her. “If I have to go down there at this hour, then so do you.”
“That’s family time. You go, and make sure you call me as soon as she has that baby.”
“No, get dressed, you are family and you’re coming,” I say and rip the covers off of her.
I growl at the sight of her naked body which brings me back to the dream I was having. Suddenly, I don’t care who’s in labor. I need to have this woman now.
“Alright, I’ll go, but get that look off your face. Now’s not the time,” she says a
nd pulls the sheet back over her.
We get to the hospital just twenty minutes after Asher called. Getting off the elevator on the maternity floor, I see my entire family standing in the hallway. Just as I’m about to ask them how it’s going out waddles Willow with her hands on her back, completely dressed.
“Sorry my husband called you all down here at this hour, I told him not to. Sorry, it was a false alarm,” she says turning her head giving Asher a dirty look. “Doc said it should be any day now, but I’ll be sure to keep Asher’s phone away from him,” Willow says.
Everyone agrees that’s not going to happen. We don’t care what time it is, we all want to be here to welcome our new niece or nephew. Let’s just hope it’s at a more reasonable hour next time. I take Shay’s hand and guide her back toward the elevator, but my earlier thoughts of her naked in my bed and the vacant on-call room I just passed triggers a very naughty idea. I turn us back around and head back to the on-call room.
“Where are we going?” she asks confused.
I back her up against the door and kiss her. She looks up at me with a devilish grin. I look both ways down the hallway to make sure no one sees us, then open the on-call room door and pull her in. I lock the door, turn her around, and press her up against the door. I kiss down her neck and lift her shirt over her head. She grabs and claws at my back, she wants this just as much as I do and it’s fucking hot!
We both stop and hold perfectly still when we hear two doctors talking to each other right outside the door. We’re both breathing heavy and Shay giggles. I place my finger over her lips, which only makes her giggle louder. I plant a hot kiss there instead, to distract her. That does the trick.
I toss her on the bed with a soft bounce and attack her mouth with my own, leaving her no chance to giggle again. I undo her pants and remove them along with her panties. Sinking to my knees on the floor, I waste no time. She gasps softly and pulls my head into her making sure I don’t stop. She’s trying to be so quiet, but I can tell it’s hard, she’s biting her bottom lip to stop herself from moaning and screaming with pleasure. She grabs my head and pulls me up to her lips and kisses me firmly, breathing heavy with want and need in my mouth.
Running Into Love - The Complete Box Set Page 42