Embracing Love

by Delisa Lynn

  Six Months Later

  The day had come, our wedding day was finally here. Nikki had arrived. We were just having a small ceremony on the beach with family and friends. The beach house had so many memories for us, we decided we never wanted to leave it. We still had Liam’s house and we figured we would eventually move there, but right now we only went for the weekends.

  Nikki surprised me with Brody. He came and hugged me and congratulated me. He looked down at my bracelet. “Lila, is that?” “Yes, Brody, it is, I will always love him.” I wanted to wear the bracelet. I know I shouldn’t have but it made me feel his presence. It also reminded me of Ads. I heard Evan was back with Alyssa. I felt really bad for breaking his heart but I belonged with Liam.

  My Uncle Kes was giving me away. As we walked down that aisle, I could see Liam smiling so big. He was truly the greatest man on earth.

  How was I so lucky to have a second chance with him? I don’t know what I would ever do without his embrace. Eric and Ashton were standing next to Liam. Ashton’s son, AJ was so cute, standing with all the guys.

  Nikki and Christabella were standing next to me holding Addie and Maddie, they were now six months old. Heather, her fiancé, and Margie flew in for our special day. It’s going to be a beautiful ceremony. As we walked across the beach, I saw several yellow butterflies flying toward the sky. Yep, Ads was here. I smiled just thinking about my best friend. I squeezed Uncle Kes’s arm when I saw them.

  My Uncle Kes put my hand in Liam’s. “Liam, I am giving you Lila’s hand. You promised her father a long time ago that you would always take care of our girl. Do you still hold that promise?”

  “Yes, sir. Uncle Kes, I will spend the rest of my life making sure Lila is taken care of.” We wrote our own vows. I could feel my hands shaking as I read mine.

  “Liam, I almost lost you once and I don’t know how I would’ve lived if I would’ve lost you forever. You are here now, you and our girls are my life. I live every day to see your smile. I promise I will make you the happiest man on earth. I want to wake up next to you every morning and lay next to you every night as I dream. I will love and honor you for as long as there is blood in my veins. I want to spend every moment of every day showing you how much you mean to me.”

  “Lila, I have loved you since the moment I laid my eyes on you. The first day I met you I said to myself, I would marry you someday. That day is here. I have never loved anyone as much as I love you and our girls. The time I spent away from you were the hardest days of my life. I knew someday I would make it back in your arms. I will never leave your side again. I will love, honor, and cherish you with every beat of my heart.” I took my hand and wiped his tears, I loved this man with everything that I am.

  “Ladies and Gentleman, I would like to be the first to say congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Liam Anthony Ellis.” “Liam, you can kiss your bride now.” “About damn time!” Liam laughed.

  Liam grabbed me and kissed me the hardest he has ever kissed me. “I love you, Mrs. Ellis.” “I love you more, Mr. Ellis.” The reception was in a small building on the beach. It was beautiful. Nikki, Margie, and Heather had done a fabulous job. I tried to enjoy my day as much as possible without thinking of my daddy and Ads.

  “I’m ready to get you out of here and out of that dress, Mrs. Ellis.” “Is that so, Mr. Ellis? Wonder if we would be missed if we ran to the bathroom for a quickie?” “I don’t think anyone would notice, if we hurry.” I laughed and Liam pushed me in the closet.

  “I’ve been waiting all day to have some of my wife.” Liam started kissing me and pulled my panties off. I reach down and unzipped his pants and we made love on a shelf in the damn closet.

  “Oh Lila, I’m so glad we think alike. I love making you happy, baby.” “Liam, I love you and I love the way you feel inside of me but we better hurry before we’re missed.” He laughed and finished and we walked back out. He shoved my panties in his pocket. I just laughed, thank God no one saw us.

  We were leaving for Italy for our honeymoon. We had never left the girls with any one longer than a day or so. My mom and Aunt Nancy were going take turns with them. Christabella was helping as well.

  Our honeymoon was perfect, the only thing missing were the girls. I loved Italy. Liam promised we would go back when the girls where a little older.

  We’d been searching for Liam’s birthmother for years now. We finally got a lead. She had married and was using the name Sofia Barone-Pryor. She lived in Nevada. “Liam, should we just go or should we call?” “I’m not sure, I’m just so damn nervous.” I decided to call and make sure it was her.

  “Is this Sofia? Ma’am have you ever lived in San Francisco? Yes, my name is Lila Carls-Ellis. Yes ma’am, he’s my husband. Yes, that’s what we were trying to figure out. We’ve been looking for you for years now. Yes, we would love that. Okay, thank you so much.”

  “Liam, that was your mother, babe. She is going to call back and she said she would fly here to talk us. She said it was a very complicated situation.” I could see the unshed tears in his eyes. I knew it was going to be emotional for him. “That is wonderful, thank you so much for your help. I am so fucking nervous, what if she doesn’t like me? She did give me up. But why? I have all these questions for her.” “I know, my love, we will ask her everything when she gets here.”

  It had been several weeks since the calls to Liam’s mother. She and one of her daughters, Andrea, were coming for a visit. Liam’s father was really his biological father but his mother wasn’t. Mr. Ellis was having an affair with Sofia when she got pregnant. He paid her to give Liam up to him and his wife. Mrs. Ellis knew all about it. Sofia was their housekeeper and was only nineteen at the time. They had hoped Liam would never find out, but after he found that birth certificate, he had to find her. He had lost both of them. “Liam, I never stopped loving you. I would drive by your home and your school just to see you. They paid me to never contact you again and with your father’s business, I knew if this came out it would ruin him. I did it so it wouldn’t hurt you. I knew they could give you a better life than I could. All my family was in Italy and my father was furious that I had gotten pregnant before marriage. Your father was a wonderful man, I loved him very much. He always told me he loved me but he would never leave his wife. He said he would be married to her for the rest of his life.

  She was a wonderful woman. I was ashamed at what your father and I had done but I was so drawn to him. I do not regret anything though. It gave them you! They had tried for years and your mother had a disease called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and couldn’t have children.

  The love that your father and I shared gave us you. I gave your mother something she couldn’t have. The day you were born, she thanked me. I looked at her with tears in my eyes. I said, “Mrs. Ellis, why are you thanking me? I have been sleeping with your husband behind your back.”

  She said to me, “I don’t care about that anymore, Sofia, you have given me something that God cannot and that’s my son, Liam.” She told me to pick out your middle name. I chose Anthony because that was my grandfather’s name. Liam, I hope you will forgive me and let me be a part of all of your lives.”

  We were all in tears from her story. I walked over and hugged her and thanked her for opening up to us. Liam welcomed her and Andrea with open arms. He had another sister Arica and a brother Andrew. They all lived in Nevada. They’re Italian and Sofia said it was a tradition in their family to stick with the same letter of the first name for each child. She chose the letter A because of Liam’s middle name Anthony.

  I was so happy for him. This was something that he had wanted for a long time now. Later that night, we lay in bed talking.

  “Lila, thank you for making this possible. It’s great to have Sofia in our lives and it’s all because of you. I’m the luckiest man in the world. I have the most beautiful woman as my wife and best friend, and we have the best twin girls.” We snuggled in each other’s arms the rest of the night.

  There was
someone banging on the door. “Liam, it’s six a.m., who could it be?” Liam ran to the door and it was Ashton and Nancy. They both had been crying and out of breath. I thought oh no who had died now? “We have some news about the bastard that killed Addie,” said Ashton. I grabbed Liam’s hand and told them I would call Eric on speakerphone. Once I got Eric awake and on the phone, Ashton told us what they knew.

  “The guy that killed Ads was only eighteen, he and his friends had been out drinking all night. He wasn’t a known criminal and that’s what’s taken them so long to find him. He was dared to rob the gas station. He told the police that when they scoped it out, there was no one but a cashier but once he was inside and saw Eric and Addie he got nervous and didn’t know what to do. He said Addison screamed and he shot not realizing he shot her, then Eric tried to run after him but he lost him. His friends were waiting in the parking lot a few blocks over.” We were all crying and I could hear my brother’s sobs. He was back in Boston but was transferring back soon. “So what happens now?” I asked. “The police said they would contact us with the court dates.”

  I hope that bastard rots in prison. Eric was so upset, I felt so bad for him. He used to be so strong, now I feel like he is breaking. He loved Addison more than anything. I hope this hadn’t damaged him. I pray that he could move forward. I knew it will be hard on him. He is tough, he’s a Carls and we were made to stand strong. Although, I find myself wanting to break all the time. This whole Liam and Evan situation has broken me down. I miss Ads and my dad so much. My mom was doing a lot better. She has met another man, I knew she would need to move on but I wasn’t prepared for when she did. We all went to dinner together last week. He was a Fire Marshall and very handsome. His son, Brax graduated with Eric and I. He also had a teenage daughter Makensie. He knew my father. My father had died cheating on my mom and I knew she needed to move forward. I knew this man would be a good start for her to move on. He was what she needed.

  Three Years Later

  We just celebrated the girls third birthday several months ago and I was graduating UC today with my law degree. After everything I had been through, I pushed through and made it happen. I was working for one of the largest law firms in San Diego. We had finally moved into the big house.

  My mom had remarried and I figured it was time to let her have her beach house back. I loved living in the house Liam grew up in. It was a huge house and perfect for our family. We’ve decided to have another baby. Liam was hoping for a boy this time.

  “Liam, I will only be gone three days at the most. You’ll be fine. My mom, Christabella, and Kalyn will be here to help you.” “L, I know I’ll be fine with the twins. It is you I will miss. We haven’t been apart since I came home four years ago.” “Oh Liam, I’ll be back! I promised Heather I would be there for all the events.”

  “Lila, please be careful.” “Liam, I will call you as soon as I get there.” I went to kiss my three in half year old twins. “Mumma not leave.” “I will be back. my sweet girls.” “Miss you, mumma.” They are so sweet. They didn’t understand that I would be gone a couple days. I hope they didn’t throw a fit on their daddy.

  I was nervous about being in New York again, I hadn’t been there in almost four years. Brody was living in Ohio with Nikki, they got engaged last year. He opened up his own law firm there, and she was now a law professor at OSU.

  On the plane, I wondered what it would be like to step back in that big ol’ city again. All these thoughts were running through my mind. Thoughts of all the people I met there and the ones I loved and lost. I needed to get Evan out of my mind, but he had never left it. I couldn’t stop loving him; I had tried. I hadn’t contacted him personally since my father’s funeral. I’ve looked him up online a couple times. He’s a wonderful lawyer.

  I took a cab to the hotel and checked in. It was just as beautiful as it was years ago. Evan and I had stayed here once. We were tired of our beds and just wanted a night away from the college scene. It was a magical night.

  I called Heather and she said we weren’t meeting until tomorrow evening. I decided I would grab lunch and relax. I was starving. I decided to go to the café and grab lunch. It was just around the corner from the hotel. I didn’t think anyone would notice me. I had gained a little weight and wore my hair a lot shorter than I did back then.

  I entered the café and the aroma was wonderful. One thing I missed about living here was this place, they needed one back home. I didn’t sit down and order, I decided to go through the express line.

  As I stood in line, I could smell a scent that I knew I had smelled many times before. I couldn’t quite remember exactly where I knew it from. It was strong and smelled so familiar. It was a scent I had smelled more than once. When the barista said next, I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye. Oh my God, it was him! He wasn’t alone, he was with the one person I wished he wasn’t with.

  As I tried not to let them see me, I ordered my BLT and sweet tea quietly. I tried to get my debit card out of my wallet and when I did, I dropped my purse, it fell to the floor and of course they turned and saw me. Damn it, just my fucking luck.

  “Lila Carls? Is that you?” I turned “Well hello, Alyssa and Evan. How are the two of you?” She looked the same, just a little uglier. What the hell did he see in her? Yep, she was still skankzilla. “What brings you here?” Alyssa asked. “I’m here for a friend’s wedding.” Evan just stared at me not saying a word. “So Lila Carls, did you become a lawyer?” “Yes Alyssa, I did and it’s actually Lila Carls-Ellis.” Evan dropped his head. “Oh, you married that Army guy after all?” She ran her hand over Evan’s and just stared me up and down. “Yes, I did marry Liam. Did y’all get married?” I asked. Evan spoke up, “No, we are just friends.” She looked at him like she wanted to punch him in the throat. “I’ve been trying to hook this man for years but he would rather stay single except for on those lonely nights when he wants some attention, if you know what I mean?” This bitch really wanted me to know she and Evan were screwing.

  “Well, it was good seeing the two of you, have a good day.” I almost ran out the door. God he was still as attractive as he was years ago. I wanted to talk to him more.

  I checked in my hotel and wondered where he was. I called Nikki, she said he still lived in the loft. “Lila, what are you doing? You are married and you left him years ago.” “I just want to talk to him, Nik.” “Lila, please be careful and if you decide to cheat on your husband be smart about it.” “Nicole Paige! Why would you say that to me?” “Just looking out for my best friend, Lila Rae. I love you, call me when you’re finished.” “Thanks Nik, please don’t tell Brody.”

  I finished eating and called Liam. “Hello my love, how are you and my mini mes?” “Hey beautiful, we miss you already. We are on the beach, they have me looking for T-Cells.” I laughed, they were trying to say seashells. “Liam, they will have you out there all night.” We’ve been out here for hours already, they love the beach as much as their momma does.” “Okay love, I’m going to get some sleep. I will call you later.” “Sleep well beautiful, we love you.” “I love you three more, kiss Ads and Mads for me.”

  I didn’t dare mention my old friend. I called a cab and headed to Evan’s. I told the cab to go on, I would catch another one. He had a newer car, if that was his. Before, he drove an older Camaro. Now he was driving a Range Rover. I walked to the door. I felt my knees get shaky. I rang the doorbell. I started to turn and walk away, when Evan opened the door.

  “Well hello stranger.” “Hi Evan, are you alone?” “Yes Lila, I am.” “May I come in?” He held the door open and stepped to the side. The loft looked the same, he had different electronics but everything else was exactly the same. He had the same couch that we used to make love on.

  Walking in his loft brought back so many memories. “How have you been, Evan? Where is the Camaro?” He ran his hands through his hair. God, he was beautiful. “I’m okay, Lila, how are you and Liam? It’s back home, I didn’t driv
e it much anymore.” “We’re good, I thought you and Alyssa where together? Sorry I didn’t mean to say it like that. Oh I was hoping you didn’t get rid of that car, I always loved it.” “Lila you know how I feel about her. I could never get rid of old lady, you know I love that car.” “Oh I just thought, maybe by the way she said things. Are you a lawyer now?”

  “Yes, I am actually, I’m thinking of moving back to Utah and opening a practice there.” “That would be great Evan, how is your father doing?” “He’s doing pretty good, just taking things day by day. My aunt Frances still helps him out.”

  “What brings you here to New York?” “I’m here for Heather’s wedding. You remember her, don’t you?” “Yes, she used to date Lance, right?” “Yes, that’s her. She’s marrying Dustin Nelson.” “I haven’t seen either of them in years,” said Evan. “Heather and I stay in contact. She and Margie flew in for my wedding so I thought it was only fair I came to hers.”

  “How are your daughters? Brody told me about the wedding and how cute they were. He said they look just like you.” “Would you like to see pictures of them?” “Of course, I would.” I looked for pictures that Liam wasn’t in. “This was just last week, Addie is the one in the pink and Maddie is in the yellow.”

  “Lila, they do look just like you, with that curly blonde hair.” “I know, I feel sorry for them, I hate my hair.”

  “I see you’ve changed it.” I can’t believe he noticed after all these years. “Yes, it’s so much easier to take care of.” “Lila, why has it taken you this long to contact me?” Ah hell. Do I say I saw you in the café and wanted to kiss you and fuck you right there on the damn table?

  “Evan, I’m not sure. I will be honest with you, not a day goes by that I don’t think of you and the time we spent together. I love my husband with everything that I am. But I also still love you. And I wanted to see you, I was here and I thought it would be the perfect time. I will go if you want me to. I know how hard it was for you to get over me.”