The chef serves us all his special cheesecake, with an almond crust that’s drizzled with a chocolate hazelnut sauce. With this clan, dessert always scores big brownie points. Up until this point, it didn’t seem official. I mean, in my heart these two kids were our kids in every way that mattered. The instant I saw them, I knew they were ours and I would lay down my life for them in a heartbeat. But now they are ours, legally. Before, I just felt as though someone could still take them away from us at any moment.
Samuel stands and raises his glass.
“We have no control over destiny. It’s been written in the stars, each and every member of this family. We cannot see each star yet, but we welcome each and every one of them with love and open arms. A family is not limited to the blood that runs through their veins, but by the love that invisibly flows and binds each and every member. May you always shine bright and feel the unquestionable love from each and every member of this family. To family,” he says and wipes a tear from his eye.
As Adrian and I read our children their story and tuck them into bed, we each pass an unspoken look to one another. We both feel a peace in our heart and a love that is indescribable for our family. There are just no words to describe what I’m feeling. From Samuel’s speech, which meant the world to me, to the two little kids that are my son and my daughter, asleep in their beds in our house. I’m truly overwhelmed and bursting with happiness. Adrian and I snuggled on the couch together for a little bit, then we head off to bed exhausted from an emotional and happy day. It seems like I just fall asleep when the phone rings.
“What the fuck is it with people calling in the middle of the night?” Adrian whispers.
He answers the phone and listens to the person on the other end. I can feel the shift in the air, it’s instantaneous and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
Chapter 21
Adrian
“I’m sorry to call so late, but you need to come to the hospital, its Dad. Just hurry, come quick,” Asher tells me.
I don’t need him to tell me. I can feel it. It’s gripping my heart so tight that my lungs are screaming for air. I feel the empty loss, even before I know it’s true. As I hang up the phone and get out of bed, I numbly get dressed. Shay never even says a word, she feels it too. As she hugs me tight, I let the tears run freely, because I know once I get to the hospital, I’ll need to be strong for my mother and sisters.
“I’ll call Mia and have her come over to sit with the kids. I’ll come as soon as I can,” she says.
I don’t speed to the hospital. I know in my heart he’s already gone. I’m met at the hospital by Asher and Aiden, who tell me that while dad slept, he had a brain aneurysm that ruptured resulting in instant death. He didn’t suffer, he went peacefully. Tonight, my father’s star dimmed. We never know what stars will be added or taken away, but his star will never fully disappear. He’s the patriarch of this family and will always hold its place firmly in our grouping of family stars.
My brothers and I are strong for our sisters and our mother. There isn’t any preparation needed for his funeral, because my parents had all the details already planned out years ago. The funeral itself is beautiful. Family and friends from across the country show up to pay their respects to my father. My father was truly an amazing man.
The weeks and the months that have passed since his death and funeral, still fill a gaping hole in my heart.
Our family has bonded together and we ‘ve grown even stronger, if that’s possible. I draw comfort from my wife and kids and decide to make every day matter.
The job site is now wrapped up and way ahead of schedule. I receive a huge bonus which I share with each and every one of my workers. I’ve put in several bids for upcoming projects, and my business is in high demand. I love that Shay can stay home with our kids. We purchased a new house with a white picket fence and we’ve adopted a little Pomeranian named Roxie.
Shay
Samuel’s death was a huge shock to the family. I don’t know which is worse, losing someone so sudden like that, or knowing a person is sick and needs care, like my mother did. To me, neither is easier. The loss of a loved one rips you apart and devastates your family either way.
Everyone is dealing with their loss in different ways. Samantha is surprisingly strong and has taken on the role of patriarch of the family. Amelia has Kyle to lean on and to comfort her. Asher has Willow and their kids. Aiden has thrown himself into work at Wellington Corp., but Ava has me more worried than anyone.
The funeral was amazing. Samantha and Samuel already had both of their burial plots picked out and paid for, which is responsible, but still just seems so crazy to me. There were so many people at his funeral, which is just a testament to the man that he was.
I’ve taken Ava under my wing, since I don’t work and really only have Makayla during the day. I try to take her out shopping, or even just to the park with us to play. She’s still working and she, like Aiden, has thrown herself into her work. She’s still trying to make partner at her law firm. She’s actually trying to set the record for the youngest partner ever. Other than the time I make her spend with me and Makayla, and the horrendous hours she puts in at work, the only other thing she does is visit her dad’s grave.
My mother wasn’t buried, but I understand the feeling of wanting to still be as close as you can to them. I insist that she never go alone and that she allows me to drive her there. No one should ever have to go alone. Makayla and I usually wait in the car and give Ava her time alone with her dad.
The cemetery is always full of people visiting their loved ones. You’d think a cemetery would be a creepy place, but it’s totally the opposite. It’s beautiful and serene, even at night. Ava has called me a few times crying, asking for me to take her. I’m glad she calls me and I’ll take her anytime she needs me to. At night, several of the headstones are lined with solar lights and they shine like a beacon to their loved one.
It’s been six months since Samuel’s passing and not a day goes by that he’s not thought of. At Sunday family dinner, Samantha still sets out a plate for him at his rightful place, at the head of the table. I think it’s a touching sentiment. Today, just like the traditions set out before, Adrian and I have some rather unexpected happy news to share with the family.
“If I could have everyone’s attention, I have something that I’d like to share,” Adrian says. He looks down at me and smiles. I reach up and hold his hand. “Shay and I would like to tell everyone that we are having a baby.”
“You’re adopting a baby? That’s wonderful news!” Ava says.
With tears in my eyes, I answer her, “Adrian and I are pregnant. We’re going to have a baby.”
Everyone erupts in cheers and smiles. Ava rushes over and hugs me so hard. I think I may have started to turn blue.
“I’d like to make a toast, if I may,” Samantha quotes almost word for word her husband’s words, adding her own special twist, and says, “We have no control over destiny. It’s been written in the stars, each and every member of this family. We cannot see each star yet, but we welcome each and every one of them with love and open arms. When one star fades, a new star is added. Such is the circle of life. May the love that invisibly flows and binds each and every member of this family forever, be with each and every one of you. May you always shine bright and feel the unquestionable love from each and every member of this family. To family and to new beginnings. Congratulations, Adrian and Shay.”
That was the first family dinner that was filled with the familiar family love and happiness. Time does heal all, but we never forget those that live permanently in our hearts. Tonight was one of the first times I saw Ava smile. As the family became loud and carries on their boisterous conversation, Ava comes over to me.
“Can you and Adrian take me to my dad? I need to tell him something,” she says with a smile.
“We’d be honored to,” I tell her.
Just as the shift was felt when we lost Samuel, I
feel that shift again. Ava is moving on and I think she’s going to be just fine. I put my hand on my belly and I still can’t believe that I’m pregnant. I love Micah and Makayla so much, and I can’t wait to give them a new little brother or sister. Adopting them was one of the best things that ever happened to Adrian and I, and I never imagined that we’d become pregnant. I’m over the moon excited! Poor Stewart will have to wait at least another five or six years to get me back at the firm.
The air in the car on the way to the cemetery is different this time. It’s filled with new beginnings, not sadness.
“You four can go first, I’d like to talk to Dad alone,” she says.
It’s a beautiful spring evening, the grass is green, and the smell of a fresh rain is in the air. As we walk to his grave, we place flowers at the headstone. There’s a man at the grave next to Samuel’s. I’ve never really paid attention to who was buried next to him.
“Dad, Shay and I want to tell you that you’re going to be a grandpa again. That’s right, we’re pregnant. I know you already know that, but I just wanted to tell you,” Adrian says to his dad.
The man next to us is softly crying and my heart goes out to him.
“I wanted to tell you that Shay and I have both agreed that if we’re blessed with a boy, we want to name him after you. We can’t wait to tell our child all about you. We love you, Dad,” he says.
He places a kiss on his palm and rests it on his name on the marble stone.
As we walk back to the car with smiles, Ava passes us with her own smile. I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone, or if there’s a certain amount of time that has to pass, or an event that occurs. But something changes from visiting your loved one with sadness and tears, to visiting them with a smile, wanting to tell them the good news in your life. But, that’s happened for all of us.
Adrian and I are chasing the kids around by the car, laughing. We stop to rest and lean up against the car as they continue to play. Just as Ava gets to her father, the man that is visiting the grave next to his stands up, turns around, and runs smack into Ava, knocking her to the ground. Adrian starts to go to his sister, but as the man’s face becomes familiar to me, I stop him. He looks at me confused, as I nod silently to them. The man is helping her up and even from this far away, I can see Jaxon Landry’s pupils dilate, as he reaches down to her. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Samuel planned that himself.
The End
Keep Reading! There’s more!
Bonus Novelette!!
Have you ever wondered about Dr. Spencer Matthews and Amanda Kelly from I’ll Take A Chance – Running Into Love Book 2?
Well, here’s a little novelette about them.
A Week In Paradise
by
Annalisa Nicole
All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2014 by Annalisa Nicole
This book is a written act of fiction. Any and all names, places, or similarities are coincidental. No part of this book may be used, reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any electronic or written form without written permission except for brief quotations in reviews or blogs. This book may only be distributed by Annalisa Nicole, the owner and Author of this series.
Chapter 1
Spencer
As I watch my fiancée rip apart her entire walk-in closet and dig frantically through every dresser drawer, in search of the perfect clothes to pack for our destination wedding in only a few days, I can’t help but sit here with a smile. Amanda Kelly is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. Standing at only five feet four inches, she’s a spitfire in a small package. She has a heart of gold and would give you the shirt off her back. But, don’t piss her off because she won’t take shit from anyone, including me. She has gorgeous, straight, dark brown hair that sits at her shoulders, and she has the most brilliant crystal clear blue eyes, I have ever seen. Every time I look in her eyes, I get lost in the depths of their enchantment.
I can’t help but chuckle watching her take out a dress still on the hanger, hold it up to her neck, wrinkle her cute little nose at it, then toss it on the bed. Only to pull out another dress that looks exactly the same in my opinion, but in a different color, and smile with a nod, then place it gently in the pile to pack.
She has the cutest little smile that sends my heart wildly palpitating. She thinks she looks like a dork when she smiles and hates the one lone dimple that forms on her right cheek. I think it’s fucking hot. She hates that it’s only on one cheek and thinks that it makes her face look lopsided. I hate to tell her, but she has an equally sexy dimple on her left ass cheek that balances it out. I tell her all the time that I love her dimples. She always yells at me and says, I’m crazy, that she only has the one and to learn how to count. I honestly don’t know which dimple I love more.
In only a few days, we’ll be flying to the U.S. Virgin Islands, then taking a ferry boat over to St. John Island, and getting married on a pristine white beach surrounded by our closest family and friends as witnesses. As I think back at how we met, my smile quickly fades.
Only two summers ago, she was rushed to the hospital, where I’m an emergency room doctor, with a gunshot wound to her upper thigh. Amanda was a Seattle police officer and had been shot in the line of duty. She was mad as hell that she had been shot, too. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a woman cuss like that before. Her big mouth though is what attracted me to her in the first place. Her wound wasn’t anything major, it was a through and through shot, and had missed all vital blood vessels and arteries. It was a simple flesh wound. She required only stitches and to her horrification, desk duty.
During a lunch break, I had told my best friend Kyle, who is an OB-GYN, at the same hospital, all about Amanda. When she came in to have the stitches removed, is when I had worked up the courage to ask her out. Kyle happened to be loitering in the ER, as he often seemed to do, when Amanda arrived. Just as I opened my mouth to ask her out, I burst out laughing and I couldn’t keep a straight face. Kyle was standing behind her with his stethoscope on his head like they were alien antenna. He kept wiggling them back and forth, while crossing his eyes and making fish lips. I think Amanda thought I had been sampling the pain meds or something. I may or may not have broken into his locker later that night and put petroleum jelly on the ear tips of his stethoscope.
To my surprise, she agreed to go out with me. We started dating and we’ve been inseparable ever since. Within three months, I asked her to move in with me. To my delight she agreed.
While she was on desk duty, her career choice didn’t bother me. But, once she was off desk duty and back out on the streets, all I did was worry about her. It became a constant source of tension between us. I knew how much she loved to bake, and holy fuck can that woman bake some fan-fucking-tastic cakes, cookies, and brownies. Really anything that contains sugar, the woman can bake the crap out of it. The first time I heard her tell me that she’s always wanted to be a baker and open her very own bakery, I couldn’t get it out of my head. I had a nice size inheritance from my grandparents stashed away, and when I first approached her about the possibility of funding her dreams and opening her own shop, she flat out refused. She said she could never take my money. But, I could see that sparkle in her eye and it didn’t take long to convince her to give it a go. To my relief, she turned in her shield for an apron.
For the past year and a half, she’s been the proud owner and operator of Amanda’s Sweet Treats in downtown Seattle. She was so happy on opening day! She poured her blood, sweat, and tears into getting that bakery ready. We found the perfect location, too. Amanda went on and on about the amazing window at the front of the store, where passersby could see all the yummy goodness going on inside. She said it was perfect that hardly anyone could refuse the sweet smells and tantalizing goodies sitting in the window. She even put several small tables and chairs out front for customers to sit and relax. Inside the bakery, there are several glass cases just bursting with all her sweet creations.
&n
bsp; I’ll never forget the day I asked her to marry me. I knocked on the glass window to get her attention from behind the counter. As she looked out the window, I stepped back and raised poster boards over my head. The first one said, ‘Amanda Kelly, I love you.' I dropped that card to reveal the next which simply said, ‘Will you marry me?’ To my relief with tears in her eyes, I watched as she nodded her head yes.
Amanda
Why did I pick a tropical destination wedding? Oh, right, I’m crazy, that’s why. I have nothing to wear. Everything I take out of my closet just isn’t right for a beach wedding and honeymoon in the Virgin Islands. Between this wedding and the day to day operating costs of the bakery, I hate to spend more money on a wardrobe that I don’t need, but would like. The bakery is doing well, very well, in fact, but we should still watch what we spend and the perfect beach attire is just not in the budget.
Spence is irritating the shit out of me right now. He’s just sitting in the corner of our bedroom, with the most annoying smirk on his face. I look at him and give him the ‘what’ look and bug out my eyes at him. He gets up, calmly walks over to the bed, that is now piled a mile high with just about every piece of clothing I own, and with one swift movement he shoves it all on the floor.
“What did you do that for?” I ask irritated.
To which he doesn’t answer. He walks over to the closet, disappears for only a second to come back out with one of my bikinis pinched between his thumb and forefinger, like he’s holding the tail of a rat or something. He dumps the neatly folded contents in my suitcase on the floor. Then he holds out his arm in a grand gesture releasing the bikini with flair and a nod of his head.
Running Into Love - The Complete Box Set Page 50