Fireflies From Heaven

by Lauren, Rebecca

  Finally, it was over and I breathed a sigh of relief that was probably nowhere as great as Isabelle’s. Reed and I, along with Dad and Cora had sat in the front just behind where Isabelle was seated, but when court was dismissed, Amber and her parents came to hug Isabelle and I realized they’d been seated in the back the whole time.

  As usual Amber was stunning in a sleek black dress that hugged her enviable figure and a sexy pair of heels with a peek-a-boo toe. Her long, straight blonde hair was pulled back into a sophisticated ponytail. Amber’s mother, Diana, was an attractive older version of Amber, with a kind look in her eyes.

  Amber and her dad went to Isabelle first, and then Diana Foster folded her slender arms around Isabelle, and I watched as she sobbed in the arms of Amber’s mother. Will Foster went over and stretched his arms around both of the women, motioning for Reed and Amber to join them. Watching the intimate family moment, a feeling of despair washed over me. This was what Reed had given up to be with me, and even though I wasn’t sure Amber knew about us I couldn’t squash the doubt that was darkening inside of me.

  “Is that the ex-girlfriend?” Dad asked me, watching Reed and Isabelle with the Fosters.

  “Yes.” I caught Cora’s look of sympathy, and I forced a smile for my dad’s benefit, but he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and said softly, “He doesn’t look at her the way he does you.”

  I turned my head and glanced up at Dad. “I want to kick his ass because you’re my baby,” Dad said with a half-smile. “But, I think he loves you so I’m willing to hold off on that. For now.” Left unspoken was, ‘Let me know if he ever hurts you, and the ass kicking is on’.

  “Thanks Dad.” I smiled, but I knew that Reed had only told my dad he was in love with me to smooth things over last night, and now I was beginning to wonder if maybe he didn’t have some lingering feelings for Amber just like Isabelle had said all along.

  The doubt stuck with me even when Reed took my hand and introduced me as his girlfriend to Amber and her parents. I wasn’t sure if he noticed the anguish on Amber’s beautiful face or the disappointment on the faces of her mother and father, but I was keenly aware of it.

  Everyone left the courtroom and said their goodbyes, but before we left the Fosters invited us to their house for celebration in two weeks. They said they’d been thinking of having a Halloween party and since they had more of a reason to celebrate it would be fun to go ahead with the party plans.

  “You’re upset that Amber and her parents were here,” Reed said to me as we left the courthouse.

  “No. I’d never begrudge Isabelle any support.”

  “I know that. That’s not what I meant.” He stopped and turned to me. “You’re thinking you came between Amber and I after all.”

  “Maybe,” I admitted, miserably.

  “Don’t do this, Ellie.” He stepped closer, his body against mine and his eyes hot with emotion. “I’m where I want to be.” His lips brushed mine. “Give us a chance.”

  I wanted that more than anything. “Okay,” I answered, and Reed kissed me slow and deep. The shivery feeling that danced along my nerves whenever Reed touched me was in full force, and I wondered if I’d ever get used to the electric sensation.

  We broke apart slowly as someone cleared a throat from behind us. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” Isabelle apologized, her eyes skating over Reed and I. “I was hoping I could talk to you.”

  She seemed uncertain, glancing down at the ground before looking back at me. My eyes widened in surprise because I realized that she was speaking to me. “Of course,” I replied.

  “That okay, little brother?”

  Reed smiled. “Yeah, it’s fine.”

  “Cora said she’d give us a ride,” Isabelle informed me.

  “Great.” I turned to Reed and caught him watching me and knew he was thinking, ‘I told you she’d come around’.

  “I’ll see you tonight,” Reed said, dropping a kiss on my lips.

  Isabelle and I walked away, but suddenly I stopped and turned to Reed. “Is Jase coming to Shooters tonight?”

  “I think so,” he answered, cocking a dark brow.

  I nodded, pleased. “Cora will be glad to hear it.”

  Reed smiled. “He’s been asking about her too.”

  Not long later Isabelle and I sat in the living room of my apartment.

  “I’m not listening,” Cora called out as she walked to the kitchen. “Just getting coffee.”

  “I told you to stay Cora.”

  “No, I’m giving the two of you some private time to iron out your crap. I want this settled. The next time I pass through I expect you to be friends again.”

  “We’re still friends,” Isabelle replied, but her eyes darted worriedly to mine. “We are, right?”

  “Of course we are,” I assured her.

  Isabelle looked at me as if silently asking if I was sure. Then she closed her eyes a moment before saying, “I’m sorry I freaked out when I found out about you and Reed. I was just hurt that you’d kept it from me.”

  “ I know. I shouldn’t have lied to you.” Sometimes I wished that I could get a do over or hit the pause button like on a DVD player, but life never slowed down even when you needed a chance to catch up.

  “I know why you did it,” Isabelle told me. “I was obsessed with Reed getting back with Amber, and that must have been awkward for you. When I think about how you probably felt all of those times I was talking about Amber and Reed, I want to kick myself.”

  “It was my fault for not telling you about us.”

  “I think I knew,” she said with a faraway look in her eyes. “Two years ago when Reed showed up at the cemetery I saw how he was with you and I had a feeling, but I dismissed it. I deserve the ‘shittiest friend award’, but I love you and I hope you’ll forgive me.”

  “There’s nothing to forgive. I couldn’t love you anymore Isabelle if you really were my sister,” I told her, tears misting in my eyes. I knew how lucky I was to have such amazing friends.

  “I just don’t want you to get hurt, Ellie,” Isabelle replied.

  It was the last thing she said to me before we changed the subject, and it was what lingered in my mind hours later when I should have been happy that everything was falling into place. Isabelle didn’t want me to get hurt, which meant she thought there was a chance that things wouldn’t work out for me.

  The idea tugged at the corners of my mind all night while we were out having fun, and I thought of it when Amber’s gaze kept sliding to Reed and I at Shooters.

  “Let’s go home,” Reed whispered, his lips brushing my ear.

  “Hmm. It’s early. Is your leg bothering you?”

  “No.” His deep blue eyes locked with mine, and I saw in his eyes what the single word hadn’t conveyed.

  My blood raced. My heart pounded. I shivered. “Okay.”

  Somehow we made it to Reed’s place without ripping each other’s clothes off but I wasn’t sure how because the sexual energy between us was thick and palpable. The first time that night our lovemaking was fast and punctuated with a sense of urgency that left us breathless and spent.

  Later, we made love again taking our time and making every sensual touch, kiss, lick seem a thousand times hotter. I’d never felt so complete, so safe and I was suddenly afraid of losing it all.

  “What’s wrong?” Reed breathed against my temple.

  We were lying naked, entwined with one another when I heard Reed’s softly spoken question. I wasn’t sure how to answer him.

  “You’ve been quiet all night. I know something’s bothering you.”

  “I’m just taking everything in,” I told him.

  He rubbed my back in slow, comforting strokes. “Is your dad still upset about the other night?”

  “No, you did a great job of convincing him to back off.”

  “I’m sure he feels better knowing I’m in love with his daughter and not just having sex with her.”

  I wasn’t aware I’d tensed u
ntil I felt Reed glance down at me. “You didn’t have to tell him that, Reed.”

  “Why would I keep it a secret?” he asked. Suddenly, I saw the understanding flicker in Reed’s eyes. “You don’t believe me.”

  He stared at me a moment in silence. “Ellie,” he said finally. “I should have told you first, but that doesn’t change anything. I love you. If that scares you, I can back off and give you some time to accept it, but I’m not taking it back.”

  My heart thumped wildly against my chest. “I love you too Reed.” The declaration tumbled from my lips, and I caught the flash of emotion in his eyes.

  “I was afraid you’d think it was too soon,” he said, pressing his lips to the base of my throat.

  My mind began to race. I couldn’t think clearly. I loved him so much, but it felt wrong to take him away from Amber and a family that had practically raised him.

  I knew that Amber loved Reed, but so did I. I just wasn’t sure if it would be enough.

  Chapter 18

  “We don’t have to go to this party.” Reed roped his arm around my waist and kissed the side of my neck.

  I squirmed at the ticklish kisses against my skin. “You want to make love again?” I was sure I sounded surprised. It was Saturday evening and we’d spent the entire day in a naked splendor, but when I mentioned that to Reed I felt his shoulders shake with laughter.

  “Naked splendor,” he repeated in a slow, sexy drawl that made my stomach dip. “I like the sound of that.”

  “Should I take off the costume?” I asked, turning in his arms to face him. My breath hitched when my nipple brushed against his arm.

  I was happy.

  Reed and I had spent as much time as we could together for the last few days, much of it naked and having sex, but we’d also talked and we had fun together. Reed was an easy person to talk to and being with him felt like talking with my best friend, which is what he’d become. I loved Cora and Isabelle and would always treasure our girl time, but Reed was special to me and I wondered if I’d ever be able to give him up. Anytime that I started to doubt our relationship, I’d give the traitorous thoughts a mental shove because I wasn’t ready to face a future that didn’t include Reed.

  “Even if we stay in I want you to leave on that dress.” His eyes raked over me with blatant appreciation.

  I could feel my smile widen. We were dressed as Bonnie and Clyde, and Reed was panty-melting sexy as the outlaw.

  “Got a thing for Bonnie, do you?” I asked as my approving gaze traveled down Reed’s body.

  “I’ve got a thing for you. Dressed in anything or nothing.” His cocked a brow, his expression devilish. “But you do look hot in that dress. I don’t know how I’m going to keep my hands off of you.”

  “I prefer your hands on me,” I replied wickedly, my own hands sliding over his chest.

  With a low growl, Reed picked me up and set me on top of the granite washbasin and moved between my legs, which I wrapped around his waist. His mouth took mine in a deep, hungry kiss that I felt all the way to my toes. His hands moved over my body, cupping my breasts, playing with my nipples, and then he slid a hand beneath my dress and I felt him groan.

  “Ellie.” His voice was oddly strained. “You’re not wearing panties.”

  “Hmm. I am. It’s a thong,” I told him, thinking what I wore might have a little less material than a thong. It was crazy to blush considering that Reed knew every inch of my body, had kissed and licked it, but I was still shy mentioning my racy lingerie.

  His eyes were dark with hunger and I knew he liked the thought of me in a thong. I felt his hand move between my legs, his fingers searching for the scrap of material, a deep sound escaping him, as he found it before pushing it aside and sliding his finger into my wet folds. My body clenched eagerly around his finger, and I heard his sharp intake of breath.

  “We’re already late,” he said, his fingers still inside of me.

  “I don’t care,” I whispered against his neck.

  “When I said we didn’t have to go to the party, it wasn’t because I wanted to have sex again. I mean, I always want to have sex with you.” His eyes locked with mine. “I don’t want to keep you isolated and in my bed all the time. Your friends and your dad are going to this party.”

  “I know what you meant.” He’d been giving me an easy way to get out of going to the Foster’s party, and I loved him for the consideration but I couldn’t hide from them forever. “We can be late to the party,” I suggested, my hands unfastening his pants. I looked up into his eyes and saw the hunger and something else in the dark blue depths.

  My hands trembled as I undid his pants. Fumbling with the zipper, I finally was able to shove his pants and underwear down enough to free his erection, which I clasped in my hand. Reed tensed and his fingers began to rub small circles around my sensitive flesh until I was balancing on the edge of oblivion, and then he pulled away his hand. I cried out softly, and Reed kissed my temple. “Soon,” he promised.

  I grabbed his arm, feeling bare at the sudden loss of contact. “Shhh,” he whispered against my temple. Then he reached beneath me, one hand on each butt cheek, and lifted me enough to push my dress almost to my waist. His fingers moved aside the thin strip of material that was my panties and he slid me to him, entering me in one swift stroke.

  We made love fast and hard, clutching one another, each thrust seeming deeper than the last until we shattered and I cried out his name, hearing my own coming from him.

  He sighed and pulled back just enough so that he could see my face. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

  I was too weak, too spent to answer so I shook my head, which was against his chest. Reaching down, he gently turned my face to him. “Ellie?”

  “It’s never been like that,” I whispered over the sound of my pounding heart.

  He gazed down at me as if trying to decide if that was a good or a bad thing. “Do you I need to apologize?”

  I was sure I looked satiated, but I said anyway, “You should say ‘your welcome’ because I’m definitely thankful.”

  “You’re amazing,” he breathed against my neck, nipping it lightly with his teeth.

  I gasped. “Will I ever not feel as if I’ll die if I don’t have you inside of me?” I asked, gazing up at him.

  “God I hope not.” His eyes heated. “Keep saying stuff like that and you’ll have me inside of you in the next two seconds.”

  I arched a brow at him, daring him to take me again.

  “No. We’re going to this party,” he insisted. “I don’t want your dad thinking I keep you handcuffed to my bed all the time,” he replied with a wry smile.

  I lips tugged upward. “I’m sure he’s forgotten all about that.”

  “Trust me. He hasn’t. I know I wouldn’t if I had a daughter. I’d be thinking of ways to kill the son of a bitch and get away with it,” he said without anger or malice.

  “Would you really?” I asked, thinking of Reed with a daughter, our daughter.

  He seemed to consider it a moment. “I might stop short of murder, but I’d definitely kick his ass.”

  “What if your daughter loved the guy as much as I love you?” I asked, softly kissing his mouth.

  “As long as he loves her as much as I love you, we’re good.” Our kiss deepened until Reed suddenly pulled away.

  “You’re wearing my lipstick,” I said, wiping at the red smudges over his skin.

  “We’ll have to clean up or everyone, including your dad, will know what we’ve been doing.”

  Reluctantly, we did just that, and Bonnie and Clyde left for the party that would change their lives. They just didn’t know it yet.

  “I can’t believe Dad came. He’s not usually into dressing up for Halloween,” I said, watching my dad, dressed as an Old West sheriff, talking with a group of people, Isabelle included.

  Reed’s gaze followed mine. “I think my sister had something to do with that.”

  I nodded, realizing that he’d also no
ticed something between my dad and Isabelle. “You don’t think that…” I let the sentence trail off, curious as to what Reed would say.

  He looked at me, as if trying to determine how I’d feel about my dad and Isabelle together. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “Would it be okay with you?”

  Although he’d dated over the years, Dad had never brought women home and had only occasionally introduced me to them and then probably only because I’d seen them together. I’d never seen my dad with another woman the way he was with my mom, and that had almost been like another lifetime ago. The idea was a little strange.

  “It’d be fine with me,” I answered honestly. “What about you?”

  “The same. If they got married your dad could end up being my brother-in-law and my father-in-law,” he replied. “You want another drink?”

  I don’t even think Reed was aware of the significance of what he’d said, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it, because the only way what he said would happen was if Dad married Isabelle, and Reed and I were married as well.

  “I’m good,” I said. “I think I’ll go say hi to Cora.”

  Reed gave me a quick kiss before he walked into the crush of people, stopping to talk to several of them along the way to the bar. He seemed to know almost everyone here, and I realized it was because these people were like family to him. I willed the doubt from my mine and started working my way through the crowd when someone caught my arm. I’d started to pull away when I turned and saw Jase grinning at me. “Wanna dance Bonnie? Or would you rather head for the bar and do a hold up?”

  I pretended to think about it, my eyes traveling over his hip vampire getup and up to his fake teeth. “I don’t know, you’re not going try and suck my neck, are you?” Once it was out the suggestiveness of my question made me wince. “Don’t answer that,” I said, shaking my head.

  Jase laughed. “Hey, I promise not to tell Reed if you don’t.” He was joking and I smiled.

  “Have you seen Cora?” I asked him.